The global energy crisis is having a profound impact on the business sector, particularly small businesses. Coming on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising energy costs, high inflation and other disruptions are placing renewed liquidity constraints on SMEs in a context of increasing financing costs. In this volatile environment, there are renewed incentives to accelerate investments in greening and energy efficiency to reduce vulnerability to such shocks. Yet,  in the current context SME may be reluctant to undertake investments with high upfront costs. They may also not have access to affordable financing for such investments, making the case for public support even stronger. Taking place on the margins of COP27, this webinar will explore what the crisis means for SMEs’ green transition and their access to and demand for sustainable finance. It will discuss the role policy makers, financial institutions and other actors can play to incentivise SMEs to invest in energy efficiency and other sustainability investments.

This webinar will examine the implications of the energy crisis for SME investments in resource efficiency and greening. It will also examine the policies, financing instruments and non-financial support that are being deployed by governments and other actors to catalyse SME investment in energy efficiency and greening. Discussions will centre on a number of key questions:

• How is the ongoing energy crisis impacting SME attitudes towards greening and their demand for sustainable finance?
• What policy responses are being rolled out to  stimulate SME resource efficiency invesments and ensure that SMEs have access to affordable sustainable finance?
• What role can energy providers, providers of business services and other ecosystem actors play in facilitating these efforts?