4 ◆ UNEP Industry and Environment October – December 2003 Sustainability and SMEs I n most countries – large and small, developed and developing – the vast majority of business- es are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These businesses provide at...
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4 ◆ UNEP Industry and Environment October – December 2003 Sustainability and SMEs I n most countries – large and small, developed and developing – the vast majority of business- es are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These businesses provide at least half of all jobs. Big business is often perceived as the “back- bone” of national economies. In that case, SMEs are the flesh and sinews. We have become accus- tomed to being concerned about the social and environmental impacts of the largest companies. However, in many countries the cumulative impacts of SMEs are just as great if not greater. Definitions Useoftheterm“SMEs”isoftenrestrictedtonon- primary enterprises (i.e. it does not include farm- ing, fishery or the extractive industries). This is generally how the term is used in this issue of Industry and Environment. Nevertheless, small- scale fishery and mining operations, for example, are very important economically in many coun- tries, especially developing ones. How smal
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