A DYNAMIC SECTOR THAT IS TAKING SHAPE

Best practices of stakeholders serving the development of the sector

Eco-enterprises, which have a strong perception of their shared identity, have been organizing themselves over the past ten years to address the challenges of their development.
Although they face the same difficulties as all businesses, their sense of belonging to a collective is strengthened by the specific issues they encounter.
How to overcome the sector’s lack of visibility, which is detrimental? How to meet the significant needs for innovation and adaptation? How to finance an activity subject to regulatory uncertainty? How to access public contracts and major accounts when more than 90% of eco-enterprises are micro or small businesses? How to reach critical size to conquer export markets? How to train for green jobs and new professions?
While expectations are high toward public authorities for sector support, professionals have not waited to find solutions likely to address these crucial challenges.
Across all territories, eco-enterprise networks and green clusters have demonstrated their dynamism and determination to provide concrete responses for the development of eco-enterprises.
Resulting from a shared diagnosis of the main challenges eco-enterprises must overcome, this contribution highlights best practices developed by eco-enterprise networks.
The initiatives presented are all practical responses from grassroots actors to the daily challenges faced by eco-entrepreneurs.