Regional Sustainability Platform to boost sustainable entrepreneurship
About this good practice
The sustainability platform "Groningen Werkt Slim", or "Groningen Works Smart", informs and facilitates companies in making their business activities sustainable. The goal of the platform is to help companies in the region of Groningen to become CO2 neutral.
The sustainability platform is an initiative of the four Groningen business associations (ZuidOost, West, Noord-Oost and Groningen City Club), the Municipality of Groningen and the Province of Groningen. SMEs and entrepreneurs can find the necessary information regarding sustainable entrepreneurship (subsidies, initiatives, projects, events, inspirational stories and networking events) on the platform and contact the sustainability platform advisers for an independent and free advice on how to make the company sustainable.
In search for innovative solutions the sustainability platform works together with regional knowledge and research institutions. The sustainability platform encourages companies and knowledge and research institutions to actively cooperate in boosting sustainable entrepreneurship.
In short, the sustainability platform not only provides the necessary knowledge about sustainable entrepreneurship and offers a free advice service, but also:
- informs about subsidies and other incentives for making business more sustainable,
- establishes short cooperation lines between business associations, the municipality and the province,
- thank to the short cooperation lines, matches demand and supply faster.
Resources needed
Companies pay a monthly amount to the municipality for the entrepreneurial fund that finances, among others, the sustainability platform. In addition, both province and municipality provide subsidies to the platform. See: https://www.rvo.nl/duurzame-bedrijventerreinen/groningen-werkt-slim
Evidence of success
The regional approach of the sustainability platform "Groningen Werkt Slim" ensures greater involvement and more enthusiasm from entrepreneurs than a national approach would. The platform brings the energy transition closer: all parties of "Groningen Werkt Slim" are known to entrepreneurs, whereas national level initiatives are perceived as far-away. Due to the growing popularity of the platform, the municipality has introduced new sustainability incentives and increased the number of advisers.
Potential for learning or transfer
The regional sustainability platform "Groningen Werkt Slim" is an example of successful cooperation effort among regional actors (four regional business associations and local and regional public authorities) in bundling the organizational capacity for reaching the regional objective to make the region completely CO2 neutral by 2035 and, at the same time, to enhance the sustainable growth, SMEs competitiveness and jobs creation within SMEs in the region.
Establishing cooperation among very different regional actors is not an easy task. According to Floris van Dijk, a project leader of the sustainability platform, "it is very important to strike the right tone when making a proposal; otherwise, it will soon have little chance due to political sensitivity and the different interests of companies and government; this is sometimes challenging and can slow down the process." (Interview to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency: https://www.rvo.nl/duurzame-bedrijventerreinen/groningen-werkt-slim)
Further information
Good practice owner
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