Brussels, 22/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - A Eurobarometer study published on Tuesday 22 March reveals that 75% of European businesses have been faced with a rise in the cost of materials over the past five years and that 90% of such undertakings expect price increases in the future. In order to tackle this challenge of rising production costs and scarcity of materials, which entail price volatility and jeopardise the competitive position of the businesses concerned, SMEs are looking to eco-innovation for an answer, i.e. products, processes or other solutions that can contribute to environmental protection or a more efficient use of resources. Many businesses, however, are still not fully aware of the potential effects of natural resource scarcity on their future operations.
The results of the study lend weight to the ideas upheld by European Environment Commissioner Janez Potoènik, at a time when the argument used by the Commission to spearhead the EUROPE 2020 strategy is that of more efficient use of resources. “What we are seeing is certainly a change in the right direction, but we need to move from evolution to revolution in our attitude to resources. A more efficient use of resources is a must for businesses. Eco-innovation is a way of turning this challenge into an opportunity”, the commissioner commented. The Commission will present a new action plan for eco-innovation by the summer with a view to helping businesses invest in this area.
The survey on the “attitudes of European entrepreneurs towards eco-innovation” (Eurobarometer No 315) was presented to the tenth European eco-innovation forum (Birmingham, UK) on Tuesday. It was carried out by the Hungarian Gallup poll institute for the Commission's DG Environment. A representative sample of 5,222 SME directors in 27 member states took part in the survey.