On December 2019 Business Planet team headed to Latvia to see how the country’s biggest household chemical and cosmetics maker is profiting thanks to its eco-minded strategy.
Chemicals are essential to our daily lives, but some can pose a risk to human health and the environment. Europe’s chemical legislation known as REACH places a high responsibility for chemical management on industry. For small firms using substances and mixtures in their production, dealing with such strict requirements can be tough. Business Planet team looked at what the European Union is doing to help SMEs cope with their legal responsibilities.
When an enterprise makes a concerted effort to reduce its environmental impact, that is better for the planet, but it can also be good for business. JSC Spodriba is one such company. Based in the city of Dobele the firm is Latvia’s largest producer of household chemicals, making a host of cleaning and consumer goods for the home.
That move to produce more environmentally friendly products has paid off. The firm’s eco-range now represents nearly 25 per cent of total turnover. But JSC Spodriba is not resting on its laurels. The company has recently obtained new equipment to develop even greener household products through an EU funded project called LIFE/Fit for REACH. Project is just one of several EU initiatives aimed at helping SMEs meet their obligations under the REACH legal framework. Business Planet spoke to Agnese Meija-Toropova, from the Baltic Environmental Forum Latvia about the various types of assistance to companies, from consultation to small scale financial aid.
Full article and video available on Euronews website.
