Why We Need To Support the Environmental
Compliance Needs of European SMEs

Lynch-Wood Gary and Williamson David
Centre for Research into Corporate Responsibility and the Environment

Abstract

An eighteen-month study of 66 small and medium sized-enterprises (SMEs) in four European Member States demonstrates that regulatory compliance drives environmental behaviour. It shows that SMEs are governed by the need to comply with, and that their actions are frequently a response to, environmental regulations. It also shows that SMEs in each member state show similar patterns of behaviour since they all tend to respond in the same manner. The authors argue that EU policy should therefore focus on helping SMEs comply with environmental regulations and that support mechanisms need to address the compliance needs of European SMEs.

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