CLIBUS Runway to carbon neutrality – Involvement of business communities in climate strategies

CLIBUS main picture - full
CLIBUS enables cities and regions to act as lighthouses, guiding SMEs in energy efficiency and climate actions.

Several regions and municipalities across the Europe are willing to achieve climate-neutrality earlier than 2050 and have established regional and local climate policies. To achieve carbon neutrality goals, cities and regions across, it is essential to improve the involvement of business sector and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the implementation of local and regional climate strategies. More dense collaboration with business communities, such as industrial districts, business parks, business development agencies and networks will provide new opportunities for GHG emission reductions and improve SMEs’ capabilities in contributing the green transition.

At the same time, the extending ESG reporting will provide additional information for decision-making for climate initiatives in business communities and SMEs.

The project CLIBUS is implemented in the framework of the Interreg Europe programme and co-financed by the European Union. The CLIBUS project partners are from Finland, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands and Ukraine. In Finland, LAB University of Applied Sciences works in close collaboration with the City of Imatra.



Project partners:

LP1 LAB University of Applied Sciences, Finland

PP2 City of Imatra, Finland

PP3 Hillerød Municipality, Denmark

PP4 Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Greece

PP5 Region of Thessaly, Greece

PP6 City of Eindhoven, Netherlands

PP7 Executive Committee of the Rivne City Council, Ukraine
Project period
-
Project state
On-going
Project area
International
Project funding
Interreg Europe 2021-2027
LAB role
Lead partner
Unit
Technology
Project focus area
Multipurpose materials
Objectives
The overall aim of CLIBUS project is to improve policy instruments to better support the preconditions of SMEs and business communities to implement energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction activities. Public authorities' capacity for policy improvement is build through interregional cooperation and selected themes to enable policy improvement at regional level.



Policy instruments addressed in the project:

- Imatra City Strategy

- Climate Plan of the Hillerød Municipality: Together on climate and green transition

- Regional Operational Programme of Thessaly 2021-2027

- Eindhoven Climate Plan

- Sustainable Energy Development and Climate Action Plan for the Rivne city territorial community until 2030



Capacity building for policy improvement is focused on the following themes:

- Building up networks for enabling cooperation and change

- Public-private collaboration models in supporting SMEs in energy-efficiency

- Utilisation of ESG reporting data in targeting climate actions

- Public services to support energy-efficiency actions in SMEs

- Influence of organisation capacity of business parks to their energy efficiency

- Competence of SMEs in energy-efficiency and GHG emission reduction actions
Outcomes
As a result of the CLIBUS project, the support via policy instruments for business communities and SMEs is improved. In case of financial instruments, public authorities' capability to fund local energy-efficiency and GHG reduction investments of SMEs is improved. In case of local strategies, public authorities’ capability to facilitate business sector’s, especially SMEs’, contribution in climate actions is improved. In addition, the project CLIBUS strengthens local public-private collaboration models between public authorities and business sector in reaching SMEs, and improves utilization of increased ESG reporting information from private sector in targeting climate actions.
Sustainable Development Goals
Project managers