Scientific/academic knowledge and expertise provided by the higher education institutions can be used to provide solutions for the industry in relation to effective design and implementation of low carbon strategies and environmentally responsible practices. The industry provides the realistic setting where scientific knowledge can be applied – a process which is important for scientific scrutiny, replication, and development. In order to achieve environmentally sustainable company operations within the EU, it is necessary to build strong connections between related academic institutions and research centres and the world of work. The proposed project (PrESS) responds to that need by aiming to enhance the skills of European SMEs in relation to environmental sustainability and growth.
The motivation for PrESS: PrESS emerged from the need to equip organizations and SMEs in Europe with the necessary skills and tools needed to effectively tackle the environmental challenges of globalized economic activity and expanded supply chains. Although supply chains are expanded globally, and economic activity is even more aggressive than in the last 15 years, enterprises are faced with the challenge to respond to such changes and at the same time respect the environment and minimize their impact on natural resources.
Aim
Develop an online DSS and a training approach that will allow European companies monitor and assess their current decision-making strategies in relation to environmental concerns, adopt low carbon decision-making patterns, and develop a long-term plan for low carbon management and environmental sustainability of their supply chains.
Objectives and Results
1. Gaps identification: Identify gaps in existing knowledge assets and policies of companies towards environmental challenges and low carbon/environmentally sustainable practices.
2. Empower decision-making for sustainable growth: Develop an online low carbon DSS for companies by utilizing the real life experiences of international organizations using the SCEnAT tool and the findings from the training needs analysis.
3. Increase preparedness and responsiveness of SMEs and organizations: Provide a lifelong learning framework that will train executives and business leaders on how to effectively use the DSS for identifying, assessing, and responding to environmental challenges and risks related to the company’s operations (e.g., green supply chain management practices, environmentally sustainable operations).
4. Increase benchmarking and monitoring capabilities of organizations: Developing a web-based platform that will allow organizations store the knowledge derived from the utilization of the DSS and record their strategies, in order to keep track of their progress in environmental sustainability and accordingly decide on their own standards for benchmarking of low carbon operations to provide decision support for low carbon operations. This makes our training approach flexible and user-initiated and allows companies develop a long-term strategy for low carbon management and sustainable growth.
Moving from an innovative approach to an in-depth investigation of decision making strategies in relation to environmental concerns, we develop important new knowledge on this important topic. We recognise the expertise of our industry participants by working with them in adopting an effective and handy decision support tool for sustainable development that has been recently used in multinational corporations based in the UK. We address issues of increasing social and intellectual capital for our target groups. We apply multi-method approaches that will promote sustainable development in our target groups.
LIKE the PrESS Project Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pressprojecteu
FOLLOW the PrESS Project Linkedin Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/promoting-environmentally-sustainable-smes
