Green advice available for SMEs

By Kim Da-ye

A government-funded, non-profit organization to advise small and medium businesses in developing countries on eco-friendly innovation was officially launched Wednesday.

The ASEM SMEs Eco-Innovation Center (ASEIC) was created last October at the eighth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Brussels, Belgium, where leaders agreed on the need to promote “green growth” among small and medium enterprises.

ASEM is an informal gathering for cooperation by 27 European Union member states, 16 Asian countries, three third party countries and two international organizations.

Korea took a leading role in the creation of ASEIC to act as a liaison between Europe and Asia in eco-innovation and to promote its own green growth policy.

ASEIC received 2-billion-won in funding this year from the government agency Small & Medium Business Administration (SMBA).

“As the Korean Government has contributed to the international community in promoting green growth and encouraging international environmental governance to tackle climate change since the government set a nation’s core vision ‘Low Carbon Green Growth,’ ASEM member countries agreed to the establishment of ASEIC in Seoul,” the center said.

ASEIC said that it would focus on four pilot projects in the first two years: providing consulting services for small and medium enterprises on “eco-innovation”; operating a web portal about environmental regulations; conducting relevant surveys; and holding conferences and seminars to share the best practices among ASEM members.

For its advisory services, the center will receive tenders from consulting firms, mainly Korean entities, with the right expertise to advise businesses in developing countries. The Korean consultants are expected to form a consortium with experts and consultancies representing their respective countries, Lee Sang-hoon, director-general of Technology and Innovation Bureau at SMBA, said.

They could advise on a variety of environmental issues such as reducing industrial wastes and maximizing output from a limited amount of energy and resources.

If the program proves successful, the center hopes consultants and experts from Europe, the most advanced economic zone in terms of environmental regulations, will join the campaign.

The funding initially came from the Korean government, but the center plans to seek support from other ASEM member states in the future, Lee said.

The establishment of ASEIC was first discussed globally last May at the ASEM Forum 2010 on “Green Growth and SMEs” in Seoul. At the forum, representatives from 28 member states issued a joint statement encouraging the creation of the center under the leadership of Yang Soo-gil, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Green Growth (PCGG).

Discussed again during the ASEM Senior Officials’ Meeting in July at the eighth ASEM Summit attended by President Lee Myung-bak, participants officially endorsed the creation of ASEIC.