海外动态:ACCA欢迎中小企业的迎绿色行动计划
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海外动态:ACCA欢迎中小企业的迎绿色行动计划
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It is time for SMEs to turn sustainability challenges into opportunities. Accountants can
make both the short and the long-term case for sustainability, says global accountancy
body
Despite the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to the world
economy and their impact on social and environmental issues, they have until now been
marginalised in the debate on sustainability and corporate social responsibility.
This is why ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) has welcomed
the publication of the Green Action Plan for SMEs by the European Commission, which
highlights the potential benefits of them embracing sustainable business practice.
The global accountancy body hopes that this will lead to the adoption of concrete
SME-specific measures and approaches within sustainability.
Emmanouil Schizas, senior economic analyst at ACCA, says: 'Developing an SME
approach to sustainability in business practice, business support or public policy will rely on
understanding the dynamics of such a diverse sector. SMEs are indeed not scaled-down
versions of large organisations and their needs are extremely varied, even within the sector
itself. Any initiatives that would focus on engaging the SME sector should not only take
into account the differences between large companies and SMEs, but also the differences
between micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in this respect.'
'A crucial factor in engaging SMEs in the sustainability debate and practice will also be
the role of the owner-manager, given that most small businesses are both owned and
managed by the same individual. Compared with the bigger listed companies increasingly
under pressure by various stakeholders to report on their sustainability practices, the SME
owner-manager does not have to answer to shareholders and a board and thereby has
more freedom and power to implement sustainability practices – or to ignore them'
Emmanouil Schizas adds.
ACCA believes that because SMEs’ use of inputs - especially energy - is rarely optimal,
accountants – as among the most trusted business advisers - can play an important role in
helping them, to be more efficient.
Emmanouil Schizas however warns that: 'While the potential for savings can help
trigger an owner-manager’s interest, it will not always be large enough to make the case for
long-term investment or innovation. In fact, savings may accrue entirely to the business’
more powerful customers. The simplest types of efficiency savings may convey no
advantage at all if they are easy to replicate. Rather, the potential of sustainable practices
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to overcome barriers to entry into large supply chains - including those of the government
itself - to trigger innovation and to help further engage the workforce, will matter more to
forward-looking owner-managers. This means that only the most well-rounded finance
professionals can make the full business case in a way that SMEs can relate to.'
Although SMEs are showing more and more willingness to understand their
sustainability impacts and how to make their business operations more sustainable, for
some, the mere thought of implementing a sustainability strategy too often equals
unwelcome additional costs. For ACCA, the Green Action Plan for SMEs, with its series of
proposals to help businesses exploiting the opportunities offered by the transition to the
green economy, is a step in the right direction.
'We especially commend the proposals on improving resource efficiency, on facilitating
access to finance for resource-related improvements in SMEs - namely through the Natural
Capital Financing Facility - on exploiting the opportunities of greener value chains, on
promoting green entrepreneurship - including in education and training - as well as
facilitating market access for green SMEs. The challenge will now be, as always, their
implementation' Emmanouil Schizas concludes.
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