Guide for employers - Advantages for competitiveness of sustainability performance

By project CEI BOOST

Published on 03 April 2025

Portugal

Região Autónoma da Madeira

About this good practice

The aim of the guide was to overcome the information gap of business owners about the benefits of sustainable procedures and green skills of companies’ staff to increase the value of products and services to meet increasing environmental and social requirements of customers and business partners which is crucial for their retention.
To respond to the evolution of market expectations, increasingly oriented to environmental and social criteria, it is essential to invest in green skills and sustainable procedures, anticipating the market needs to ensure competitiveness.
The guide, disseminated to business owners, provides clear information on the importance of creating value for products and services through a sustainability strategy and presents a set of measures for sustainability namely cross-sectional measures, energy efficiency and renewable energy, sustainable management of water resources, sustainable tourism and food systems, sustainable mobility, circular economy and climate change adaptation. The guide also explains the contribution of green skills and jobs to competitiveness and identifies financial instruments to implement sustainability measures, training and digitalization.
The main beneficiaries of the guide are companies, business partners, employees, customers and the overall economy.

Resources needed

13 654,59€

Evidence of success

The guide presents concise, objective and useful information to reach business owners, that have busy schedules, with the aim to create value for products and services to meet the increasing environmental and social requirements of the market, contributing to the competitiveness of the SMEs. The guide was presented to 17 companies in bilateral presential meetings and in a workshop organized by AREAM and Order of Engineers. The guide is also being presented to new and future business owners.

Potential for learning or transfer

The contents of the guide are applicable and useful to any company in the European context and beyond. The environmental and social expectations of clients are transversal and the proposed measures for sustainability to add value to products and services can be implemented by any company, ensuring the high transfer potential of the guide.
The guide can be disseminated and implemented by companies of different sectors in the European Union with benefits for companies, collaborators, business partners and customers.
The guide is aimed at micro, SMEs and large companies and its contents are also useful for public administration and companies in the social sector. Financing instruments, applicable in the European Union, to implement sustainability measures, training and digitalization, are also indicated in the guide.