The EEA and Norway Grants supported Clean Business initiative is a nationwide environmental consciousness raising campaign aimed at small and medium sized enterprises. The aim of the campaign is to enhance the competitiveness of Polish enterprises by encouraging the use of environment friendly technology.
The Polish Environmental Partnership Foundation has established up 16 Clean Business clubs throughout the country with a total membership of more than 500 businesses. The Foundation has set up a number of training seminars and workshops on sustainable development and the environmental impact of energy, water and material consumption, with the aim of encouraging businesses to reduce waste and become more energy-efficient. The campaign is being carried out in cooperation with Green Business Norway, an organisation specialising in innovation, cooperation and project development in the environmental energy and technology sector.
More than 100 businesses from all over Poland applied to take part in the competition for the 2009 Clean Business Awards. Out of these, 13 businesses were short-listed and 5 winners were selected. These included a furniture factory that had achieved a substantial reduction of its energy consumption; a company that had invented new and environment friendly street lightning; and a company that promotes tourism in an artistic and innovative way. The winners, pictured above, will now be eligible to participate in the European Business Awards for the Environment. A number of companies also received the Green Office certificate and the Greenways Certificate for green tourism.