3rd Annual Conference of the OECD Platform on Financing SMEs for Sustainability

The third annual conference convened all key stakeholder groups to discuss how finance and supply chains can be leveraged to accelerate SME actions on sustainability. The conference showcased the latest research and initiatives on financing SMEs for sustainability by the OECD, national governments, public development banks, private financial institutions and other ecosystem actors. It also engaged discussions on how SMEs can thrive in sustainable supply chains and on the broader concept of sustainability, going beyond environmental issues which have been the main focus of discussions on SME sustainability within the Platform to date.

SMEs have a significant environmental footprint, accounting for around 40% of business-sector greenhouse gas emissions. The OECD Platform on Financing SMEs for Sustainability, launched during COP26, works to help overcome the challenges of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in accessing sustainable financing and increase momentum for the green transition. It brings together all key stakeholder groups that can help drive change, including public and private financial institutions, policy makers, ESG (environmental, social, and governance) intermediaries, social economy actors and SME representatives. Through this collaboration, the Platform contributes to addressing knowledge gaps and promoting dialogue on policies that support sustainable finance for SMEs. The Platform is hosted by the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, a global reference in the area of SME and entrepreneurship data, policy analysis and dialogue. Its members include the British Business Bank, the Business Development Bank of Canada, Bpifrance and the Industrial Bank of Korea. The Platform’s knowledge partners include the European Association of Guarantee Institutions (AECM), Bankers for Net Zero, the European Banking Federation (EBF), the SME Finance Forum, the SME Climate Hub, and the Montreal Group.