Recovery and sustainability – how can SMEs achieve both?

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the beating heart of Europe’s economy, accounting for over 90% of all businesses in the EU and for more than half of its gross domestic product, whilst employing about 100 million EU workers before the pandemic.  Already struggling with long-standing problems such as regulatory burdens and difficulties to access markets, small businesses have been particularly hard-hit by the ongoing COVID crisis. From the start-up stage, sustainability is seen as an afterthought for many SMEs, with the focus being on profits, revenue and business growth. The current motto of the COVID recovery is to ‘build back better’, by placing sustainability and the environment at the forefront of our social and economic recovery. How can SMEs be encouraged and supported to recover strongly, whilst also thinking sustainably?