www.gogreen-project.eu This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] and all its contents reflect the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. [Project number: 2020-1-CY01-KA202-065983] so as to bring extra income that could save half of the bottling facility operation costs. The reduction in using synthetic fertilizers could also contribute to GHG emissions from soils. Shifting to organic agriculture could have additional environmental benefits (Smith et al., 2008). ▪ Investments in more eco-oriented product design. The SME can re-design its products to reduce the required inputs, without sacrificing the product’s utility at all. For instance, the bottling of the wine and the olive oil produced can be made also by recycled carton containers, limiting the use of plastic bottles and glass. ▪ Adopting a policy that prioritizes the eco-management of business waste disposal, materials reuse and recycling. In addition to reducing waste by improving process efficiency, the SME can reuse already-generated waste or production leftovers, and pass it along to other SMEs or large companies that may find it useful. This reduces significantly the cost of waste disposal. Also, the SME can reduce cost by considering the source of their own raw materials and switching to recycled ones. Organic material could be composted and incorporated to the vineyards/olive groves (carbon storage in the soil). ▪ Investments in infrastructure efficiency. The company can generate considerable savings associated with energy-efficiency lighting, building insulation and heating systems efficiency. The findings and outcomes of the ECOWINER project could be exploited https://www.sustagric.com/ecowinery.html . ▪ Taking into consideration packaging and transport, since they can greatly affect the company’s carbon footprint. The SME can reduce costs by reducing the volume of packaging and/or by switching to local suppliers to decrease the shipping distances. Roles Three main roles are entailed in the current scenario and they are described below: 1. The Business Owners of the scenarios’ business are interested in protecting the environment and addressing the climate change issue, but they are also concerned about the feasibility of switching from fossil fuels to alternative forms of cleaner energy and the potentially high cost of doing so. Furthermore, they are worried about how their business must act in order to adapt to the new legislation framework for SMEs in the agricultural sector with more strict boundaries now set regarding business GHG emissions and waste. At the same time, the business is trying to avoid receiving a penalty-fine due to the high level of GHG emissions produced by its activity, which has already impacted on the ecosystem of the nearby area. The corporate green image is thus included in their concerns, since its activity is now under close scrutiny by stakeholders with regard to its environmental footprint. While local pressure is rising for greening their business operations, the owners decided to invest in GHG management and energy savings to mitigate the climate change impacts, improve the business environmental footprint, guard its corporate green image, rectify any negative effects, retain a decent level of collaboration with its stakeholders and stay on course towards sustainability and growth. However, getting the business carbon-ready requires real commitment and a cultural transformation that should start with their decision. Leadership must communicate the firm’s emissions targets and strategies to all employees and important stakeholders, considering monetary incentives for delivering on the targets. The business must also share its greening objectives, relative intentions and/or plans with its partners and suppliers, so as to jointly work with the supply chain and customers to reduce the carbon risk. This will help
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzYwNDE=