Blog

We all love a fresh cup of coffee to kick-start the day, but have you ever wondered what impact this daily habit has on the environment? Read along to find out how the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) supports the French start-up Kabioca on its journey to sustainable and eco-responsible coffee production from farm to cup.

Sometimes the most natural of things can give birth to an outstanding idea. Discover the latest edition of the Network’s Blog! German Network Adviser, Andrea Dohle from ZENIT GmbH interviewed Anna Yona, founder of Wildling Shoes, to ask her what sustainability means to her and how successful a sustainability-focused business strategy can be.

Green is the new black. There are no doubts about it. We’ve all heard the slogans and buzzwords, but we might still be wondering, what does this really mean? How can companies get on board and go green, especially those working in specific sectors, like the building one, with their own distinct challenges? How do the latest sustainable solutions help deliver economic growth? What kind of help does the Enterprise Europe Network offer?

How do I calculate the import duties to export my products outside the European Union? How can I pay less of these duties thanks to the EU free trade agreements? What documents do I need? And what if I wanted to import products into Europe? The Access2Markets portal gives you the right answers to all of these questions and many more. It is capable of helping importers and exporters in their trade relations outside the European borders.

In recent years, women are changing the world of digital technologies. Inspiring stories are starting to pile up, describing the unique journeys of successful women entrepreneurs in the high-tech industry. One of them is Dragana Calija, owner and CEO of Saint Di & Co, winner of the Best Woman Exporter Award in the Success Flower Awards for the 2020 best women entrepreneurs. Sanja Popovic-Pantic, the chair of the Network’s group of experts in women entrepreneurship met Dragana and asked her a few questions to put the spotlight on her story and achievements.

In line with the European Green Deal’s goal to improve people’s health, quality of life and care for nature, the Farm to Fork Strategy addresses an essential element for people well-being: food. European food is known to be of high quality and safety. Furthermore, European food and drink manufacturing enterprises – the majority of which are SMEs – export their products to more than 200 countries. This makes the EU the world’s largest exporter of food and drink products.

The transition to economic, environmental and social sustainability has become a major priority for the new European Commission. At the same time, all main actors have agreed that this transition must be based on a strong and resilient economy which finds its backbone in Small and medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).

Napoleon once said, "China is a sleeping giant. Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will move the world." The giant is awake now and has already become one of the largest economies in the world. China is also large enough for us to have to do business on their terms. It’s probably one of the most foreign places we can talk about in terms of the society, behaviour and mindset of people and businesses. In order to do business with the Chinese, we need to forego our usual expectations and practices. Here are a few areas to consider.