Press releases

PRESS RELEASES - SKI.F.T. SKILLS FOR TRANSITION

 

Newsletters

PRESS RELEASES

05.11.2024

Press release #3


Small and Micro Social Economy Enterprises as important players in Europe’s journey towards Green Transition: Potential and Challenges - Impressions from the SKI.F.T. webinar

New perspectives for small and micro social economy enterprises in the context of green transition stood at the centre of a webinar organised by the partners of the EU-funded SKI.F.T. project on 29 October 2024.

The event brought together social economy enterprises of different size, social economy support organisations, other economic actors, civil society organisations and academics from 9 EU Member States, Switzerland, the UK and Turkey, as well as representatives of European organisations and the European Commission.

During the webinar, testimonies of several micro and small social economy actors from different fields of activity (recycling&upcycling, construction, IT, waste management, …) were a proof of the huge (innovation) potential and added value of these enterprises when it comes to social green transition. A potential which too often cannot be fully exploited due to a number of challenges, including frequently limited access to funding opportunities which are still very much targeted at medium and large enterprises, a lack of capacity in terms of human resources, insufficient knowledge regarding potential partners (including suppliers or experts), legislative hurdles, or simply a lack of visibility and recognition of their added value…

These challenges must be taken into account also by (social economy) support organisations and other actors having developed and/or developing tools and programmes to respond to the specific needs of small and micro (social economy) enterprises wishing to engage (more) in green transition processes. Some participants pointed out that, in a social economy perspective, the task of these organisations goes (or should go) beyond being simple training/service providers towards animating networks at local, regional and national level. Such networks should enable cooperation, mutualisation and the creation of local ‘social green’ value chains in which small and micro social economy enterprises are fully integrated.

Among the possible pathways and actions to be incorporated in the future by the social economy and policy-makers at regional, national and/or EU level there are, according to speakers and participants, the following ones:

  • The need for Europe to build on its rich SME landscape and its diversity in general instead of focusing investment and attention mainly on "European champions".
  • Development of innovation: Enhanced cooperation between social economy enterprises, as well as between social economy enterprises and other type of companies.
  • Further investment in skills development.
  • Ensuring financial support (also by maintaining and fine-tuning Invest EU and its social window to mobilise private financing by ethical and alternative banks as well as other type of finance actors);
  • Creation of more fiscal incentives.


In his conclusions, Giuseppe Guerini, President of CECOP and Member of the European Economic and Social Committee, reminded participants of the importance of combining principles around sustainable development and entrepreneurship also with values such as democracy and inclusion. He suggested complementing the triple bottom line “People, Planet, Profit” which is supposed to measure the success of entrepreneurship also in terms of sustainability by “Productivity, Participation and Progress for all”.

The organisers would like to thank in particular Joanna Wierzba (Social Cooperative Zero Ban - PL), Laura Klakk (Log Ladies - DK), Maria Rosa Manca (Social Cooperative Padre Daniele Badiali - IT), Davide Specchio (Association Virtual Life - IT), Anna Skocz (sTOP - PL), Manon Tondeur and Laurence Vandenhoeke (Groupe One - BE), Henrik Nørgaard (Clean Cluster - DK), Lois Pimentel Iglesias (European Commission, DG Grow), Daniel Sorrosal (FEBEA) and not at least Giuseppe Guerini, President of CECOP and Member of the European Economic and Social Committee.

You can find further information on SKI.F.T. and, in some weeks ahead, the short report of the webinar here.  

 SKIF EU Color

Press release #2

06.05.2024 

Green transition of micro and small social economy enterprises: Combining environmental impact with core principles of the social economy

Second meeting of the SKI.F.T project in Bologna 23-24th May 2024

Sustainability development, planning, implementing, measuring and communicating processes of green transition - what does or should this mean from the perspective of a micro or small social economy enterprise? How should it be put in practice, allowing for a combination of both – environmental considerations and the values and principles of the social economy?

Partners of the transnational project SKI.F.T. « Skills for Transition – Increasing the impact of micro and small social economy enterprises » had the occasion to dive deeper into these and related questions during their second transnational capacity-building seminar which took place on 23 and 24 April 2024 in Bologna (IT).

The objective of the event was to give further inspiration as well as to share knowledge and know-how for the upcoming advisory and coaching activities SKI.F.T. partners – social economy intermediary organisations from Denmark, Italy and Poland – will provide to micro and small social economy enterprises wishing to (further) engage in green transition processes.

The agenda included discussions on tools and procedures that might be used in the different stages of green transition-related initiatives within the enterprise. One of the key questions raised here concerned ways and means to adapt existing instruments such as those provided for example by the Open -ES platform to the reality and capacity of micro and small social economy structures, integrating concrete indicators and questions that would relate more specifically to the characteristics of the social economy. Partners also highlighted the necessity and discussed possibilities to move from mere reporting processes to real (long-term) strategies and concrete action for change. All these elements finally also led to reflections on how to better involve stakeholders all along the value chain in these processes.

Local experts and representatives of social economy enterprises and intermediary organisations from Emilia-Romagna shared valuable insights into their own (transition) practices, related challenges and opportunities : How to combine green transition strategies of an enterprise, SDGs and territorial sustainability plans? How to involve cooperators, employees and other stakeholders in transition planning and the realisation of related strategies and actions? How to use the development and implementation of green transition-related actions as an opportunity to better connect with different actors in a territory, set up new partnerships, contribute to the development of social green value chains and therewith strengthen the impact of the enterprise ? How to communicate the efforts and positive impact of an enterprise to the outside world?

SKI.F.T. partners intend to launch the first advisory activities related to the project in early summer

SKI.F.T., launched in October 2023, is co-funded by the EU SMP-COSME programme. It brings together social economy intermediary organisations and training providers from Denmark, Poland and Italy, as well as two European networks: Kooperationen (DK), FISE (PL), CSA COESI (IT), Demetra Formazione (IT), Legacoop Emilia-Romagna (IT), REVES aisbl and CECOP.

Through SKI.F.T. project partners will provide specific advisory and coaching services to micro and small social economy enterprises, enabling the latter to review their business model towards stronger environmental sustainability. Moreover, beneficiary enterprises will have the opportunity to receive direct financial support to purchase additional coaching and mentoring responding to their specific needs and fields of interest (e.g. creation of local social green value chains, communication, use of digital tools to facilitate certain type of processes, etc.). Specific attention will be paid to a collective approach, which will encourage stronger cooperation between micro and small social economy enterprises as such as well as between the latter and their different partners and stakeholders.

For more information

SKIF EU Color 

Press release #1 

18.12.2023

Enabling micro and small social economy enterprises to engage in green transition

SKI.F.T. – from the Danish word for “change” - is the title of a new transnational initiative which has the objective to accompany micro and small social economy enterprises in their efforts to make their business model and related practices more environmentally sustainable.


The project, launched in October 2023, is co-funded by the EU SMP-COSME programme. It brings together social economy intermediary organizations and training providers from Denmark, Poland and Italy, as well as two European networks: Kooperationen (DK), FISE (PL), CSA COESI (IT), Demetra Formazione (IT), Legacoop Emilia-Romagna (IT), REVES aisbl and CECOP.

Through SKI.F.T. project partners will provide specific advisory and coaching services to micro and small social economy enterprises, enabling the latter to review their business model towards stronger environmental sustainability. Moreover, beneficiary enterprises will have the opportunity to receive direct financial support to purchase additional coaching and mentoring responding to their specific needs and fields of interest (e.g. creation of local social green value chains, communication, use of digital tools to facilitate certain type of processes, etc.). Specific attention will be paid to a collective approach, which will encourage stronger cooperation between micro and small social economy enterprises as such as well as between the latter and their different partners and stakeholders.

The first transnational meeting, organized by project leader Kooperationen and held on 5 and 6 December 2023 in Copenhagen, provided an opportunity for the project consortium to set the frame for the upcoming activities. Discussions focused in particular on the specific needs of micro and small social economy enterprises as well as on the construction of a common methodology partners would be able to use as a support and point of departure for advisory and coaching services.

Results of a first survey, undertaken before the meeting, shed some more light on the challenges micro and small social economy enterprises are facing not only with regard to missing knowledge and know-how, but also concerning their capacity to finance and find the time to take part in advice and training sessions.

A main objective and challenge of the SKI.F.T. consortium for the months to come is thus to develop a training offer which would be most closely related to the running activities of the target enterprises, take the aforementioned challenges into account and be tailor-made to the specific needs of the enterprise.

The next transnational meeting in February 2024 – organized online this time – will provide partners with the opportunity to exchange more in depth on tools of support which do already exist in the project consortium.

Contact Elsa Brander
E. eb@kooperationen.dk 
M. +45 22 51 56 30