"Green businesses" play a significant role in achieving sustainable production and increasing resource and energy efficiency.
Entrepreneurs' "green projects" are supported through various government assistance mechanisms, including the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (KOBİA).
Business entities with "green projects" can apply to KOBİA for support tools such as grants, "Startap" certificate, internal market research, training, and access to exhibitions. Up to date, KOBİA has allocated grants to 19 projects that contribute to the development of "green projects" and the transition to a "green economy," and has issued nearly 10 "Startap" certificates. For instance, KOBİA has allocated over 338,000 manat in grants for projects such as the production of charging stations and chargers that can generate electricity from renewable energy sources, the development of necessary software for this purpose, the efficient extraction of electricity and heat from low-temperature geothermal water, reducing energy consumption in buildings using smart polymer composite materials, creating and researching "smart irrigation" technology, supporting the acquisition of the ecological R2 (Responsible Recycling) certification, the production and sale of innovative water generators for extracting water from the atmosphere, smart waste collection and processing, and the development of new types of wind turbines. Additionally, "Startap" certificates with tax benefits have been issued for projects such as creating alternative sources of drinking water, processing organic waste into protein, oil, and high-efficiency fertilizers for feed production, and developing smart water storage materials for improving irrigation efficiency in agriculture. Based on entrepreneurs' requests, internal market research has been conducted on recycling and the disposal of medical waste.
Furthermore, KOBİA has provided entrepreneurs with training and consulting services related to the "green economy."
In 2024 alone, the Agency organized training, seminars, and awareness-raising events on topics such as "Green Economy and Green Business," "Green Financing," and "Opportunities, Challenges, and Perspectives in the Development of Green Innovations" with the participation of about 140 SMBs in Baku, Lankaran, Sheki, and Khachmaz. Support has also been provided for showcasing entrepreneurs' green projects at various exhibitions and fairs organized and supported by the Agency.
To measure the environmental impact of business entities and assess the efficiency of resource use, the Agency has created a self-assessment platform for entrepreneurs (https://yb.smb.gov.az/). On this platform, business entities can register, answer relevant questions, and evaluate how effectively they use energy and water, manage waste, and impact the environment, identify weak points, and take necessary measures to address them.
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