Corporate social responsibility is biggest driver of investment among Flemish entrepreneurs.

There are still certainties in life. Last week, for example, UNIZO organized the Day of the Entrepreneur, which this year was dedicated to sustainability and circularity. The central message: every company can be circular. In doing so, they asked 266 SME business owners in Flanders whether they are willing to invest in sustainability. The answer: a clear yes. Social responsibility is the main driver for investing in sustainability. But in doing so, companies all too often come up against too high costs and too little support. To reinforce the circular message, UNIZO launched a competition together with sustainable start-up Dripl in which one SME could experience the benefits of Dripl's packaging-free drink dispenser for a month.

"Entrepreneurship for tomorrow" is this year's Day of the Entrepreneur campaign slogan. UNIZO created the Day of the Entrepreneur to say a heartfelt 'thank you' to the entrepreneurs of this country.

"Entrepreneurs are the workhorses of our society.  They are the people who work more than 50 hours a week, often beyond retirement age, while providing work for others and developing new ideas. Entrepreneurs deserve that 'thank you'.  This is allowed in times when entrepreneurs are mainly seen as financiers of wages and taxes," says UNIZO CEO Danny Van Assche.

The central theme is sustainability and circularity, or the principle of reduce, reuse and recycle.  By limiting the raw materials and energy we need as much as possible (reduce), reusing and limiting waste as much as possible (reuse) and ensuring that the waste we do cause is given a new life (recycle), we can reduce our ecological footprint considerably.

Cost crisis leads to energy transition

The will for this among entrepreneurs is greater than ever, according to a survey conducted by UNIZO among 266 entrepreneurs via Check Market. 90% of the SMEs surveyed are currently investing or planning investments in the short term to rationalise energy consumption, for example by (additional) insulation or by using modern technologies. Renewable energy sources such as solar panels and heat pumps are also popular. 60% of companies have already invested and another 15% have plans.

The unprecedented price increases for electricity, natural gas and fuel are accelerating the energy transition.  Alternative, renewable energy sources are now much more financially interesting than before. The payback period (ROI) is shorter and people become less dependent on the price volatility of fossil fuels.

CSR

As many as 2 out of 3 SMEs that have to deal with deliveries today invest in sustainable supply chain care, and are therefore very aware of the risks of violations of human rights, labour rights and environmental standards in the value chain of certain products and services. It is also about concrete actions, actions and decisions by companies to avoid these risks as much as possible, for example by choosing local suppliers.
When asked about the motivation to invest in sustainability, 77% give one of the main reasons that they want to take their social responsibility seriously. Cost savings (71%) and the scarcity of raw materials (30%) also score highly.

Circularity

57% of SMEs invest in the valorisation of waste and residual flows from their business activities. Zero waste policies have been on the rise in recent years, such as combating food waste. Sometimes new materials/products can also be created from the waste stream, literally creating circularity. SME managers are asking for products to be manufactured in such a way that they last longer, are easy to repair and, if the latter is not possible, are recyclable. In half of the SMEs where water plays a role, investments are already being made in water-saving measures, for example by collecting, purifying and reusing rainwater and wastewater.

A new generation of entrepreneurs

At the intersection of the two trends - cost-cutting and CSR - a new generation of entrepreneurs is emerging. Dripl is one of them. The young company wants to revolutionize the soft drink industry. The start-up by Colin Deblonde and Lucas Moreau has been in business since 2019 and wants to make a big cut in the mountain of waste of 1.3 billion containers that the traditional soft drink industry creates every day with its energy-efficient "Refill Points" (read: tapping points where you can refill healthy soft drinks without added sugars in a refillable drink can). "Our goal is to save 10 million disposable containers by the end of 2023 and operate across Europe," states Dripl co-founder Deblonde. "The fact that our taps consume up to 4 times less energy than classic drink dispensers is also often very important to our customers."

In the run-up to the Day of the Entrepreneur, UNIZO organized a competition in which entrepreneurs could win such a Refill Point for a month. "We wanted to contribute to this Day of the Entrepreneur. On the one hand, by showing that making your working environment more sustainable doesn't have to be difficult at all, and on the other hand, of course, just to reward the hard-working entrepreneurs in this country with our tasty drinks."

All partners of the Day of the Entrepreneur can be found here Partners Day of the Entrepreneur | UNIZO.