NUDGING
Encouraging SMEs to be sustainable
The managers of SMEs are crucial to long-term support for the environment.
It’s not financial incentives alone that decide whether companies introduce energy-saving light bulbs or recycled paper: it’s also the people themselves. | Image: unsplash
There are some 600,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Switzerland. “If each of them were a bit more sustainable, it would make a big difference overall”, says Manuel Grieder of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and UniDistance Suisse (the Swiss university for distance learning). As an example, he mentions the use of energy-saving light bulbs and recycled paper. In order to find out how SMEs might be encouraged to act more sustainably, he and his team of economic researchers have been carrying out not only surveys but also a field experiment in the context of an environmental consulting programme.
Contrary to the general opinion, they have discovered that financial incentives aren’t always essential. It’s equally important for company owners and managers to have a personal interest in making a long-term contribution to protecting the environment.
