Climate Foundation Switzerland supports SMEs
The Swiss Climate Foundation supports eight major climate protection projects of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This was decided by the Foundation Board at its spring meeting. At the same time, it looks back on ten years of the Swiss Climate Foundation.
Over 1400 SMEs have benefited from the support funds of the Swiss Climate Foundation in the last 10 years. The foundation is now supporting further companies with 420,000 Swiss francs. For example, the foundation is now supporting projects for better control of heating systems or the avoidance of disposable tableware. These and three other innovations are intended to make Switzerland more climate-friendly. The foundation board was also able to approve three major projects for saving energy in the company's own operations. These focus in particular on improvements in heating and insulation in medium-sized companies.
At the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Swiss Climate Foundation in Winterthur, it became apparent once again: climate protection affects almost all areas of life.
Ten years of the Swiss Climate Foundation
With its commitment, the Swiss Climate Foundation aims to support both climate protection and SMEs in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It was founded shortly after the introduction of the CO2 steering tax and will be ten years old this year along with the tax. 27 large service providers such as banks, insurance companies and consultants donate money to the foundation, which they receive through the reimbursement of the CO2 tax. The foundation's board and advisory board are made up of experts and managers from the partner companies.
Simple application processes even for small SMEs
The money - 18 million Swiss francs so far - is largely awarded by the foundation to SMEs that develop products in the field of climate protection and those that save energy in their own operations. Most of the projects fall within the scope of the foundation's standardized funding measures. These applications are submitted online and answered by the office within one month. The foundation's board of trustees decides on innovations and larger or unusual projects at its biannual meeting. "As an independent foundation, we can make our application processes simple and unbureaucratic and thus also efficiently support small SMEs," says Vincent Eckert, CEO of the foundation.
In addition to the projects, the foundation also supports companies that enter into a voluntary target agreement with the federal government to save energy. Since 2017, the Swiss Climate Foundation has also been involved in the regeneration of certain forest areas so that they can continue to absorb CO2. In doing so, it works together with Forest Switzerland and the Conference of Cantonal Foresters.
