The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) and Sequa gGmbH partnership is implementing a three-year P75-million SMEs for environmental Accountability, Responsibility and Transparency (SMART Cebu) project in an effort to develop sustainable and environment-friendly processes for Cebu’s small-to-medium scale enterprises.

The project aims to improve the competitive advantage of Cebu SMEs in the global export market by having them develop products from ecologically-friendly processes and practices. The ECCP will serve as the local project coordinator.

Once developed, these products will then be presented to Europe and Asia as models of what Cebu can offer to the global market for green products.

ECCP executive vice president Henry Schumacher said many developed countries are looking forward to buying products that were created on the basis of sustainable production and consumption principles.

“The aim is to conserve energy and raw materials while also minimizing the negative impact of the production process on the environment. This should mean less waste and a cleaner and more eco-friendly production,” Schumacher said.