SMEs benefit from the Swiss Climate Foundation
The Swiss Climate Foundation is supporting eight major climate protection projects by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with CHF 420,000. 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 CHF 18 million in support during this time.
At the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Swiss Climate Foundation in Winterthur, it became apparent once again that climate protection affects almost all areas of life. For example, the Foundation is now supporting projects to improve the control of heating systems or to avoid the use of disposable tableware. These and three other innovations are intended to make Switzerland more climate-friendly. The Board of Trustees was also able to approve three major projects for saving energy in the Foundation's own operations. These focus in particular on improvements in heating and insulation in medium-sized companies.
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 and advisory board are made up of experts and managers from the partner companies.
Simple application processes also for small SMEs
The money - CHF 18 million so far - is largely awarded by the foundation to SMEs that develop products in the area of climate protection and those that save energy in their own operations. Most of the projects fall within the scope of the Foundation's standardised funding measures. These applications are submitted online and are answered by the administrative office within one month. The 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 provide efficient support for small SMEs," says Vincent Eckert, Managing Director of the foundation.
In addition to the projects, the Foundation also supports companies that enter into a voluntary target agreement with the Swiss Confederation 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. To this end, it works together with Forest Switzerland and the Conference of Cantonal Foresters.
