SMEs, resource efficiency and green markets : summary June 2024

The EU's 25.8 million small and medium enterprises (SMEs)1 are the backbone of the EU economy. Employing 88.7 million people, they contributed significantly to the EU employment and value added. 2 As well as being economically important, SMEs are environmentally important: although their individual impact is small, their cumulative impact on the environment is significant. With 67 tons, the average SME emits very little CO2, especially if compared to emissions of 20 027 tons for the average large company (with 250 or more employees). Due to the large number of SMEs, however, their collective share in total emissions is high, at 63% of all CO2 emissions by companies. 3 Climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world. To overcome these challenges, the European Green Deal will transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy.