Environmental Conservation Approaches Among Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) with a Focus on Zero Emission Discharges in Kenya

Abstract

The green economy is an important aspect of environmental conservation and this forms the foundation for Kenya’s goal towards sustainable development. This well highlighted by the green economy which is anchored in the Constitution 2010 under Articles 42 that recognizes a clean and healthy environment as a right. The constitution is integrated into the country’s ambitious development plan, Vision 2030, which aims to attain and sustain a GDP growth of 10 percent per annum in the short to medium term by creating a “just, cohesive and equitable social development in a clean and secure environment”. The transformation towards green economy is underpinned to the five thematic areas viz sustainable infrastructure, building resilience, sustainable natural resource management, resource efficiency, and social inclusion and sustainable livelihoods. By adopting green business practices, and providing products and services through sustainable value chains, SMEs can help in driving green growth while at the same time sustaining job creation. A central emphasis of climate change in Cop 26 was that of Decarbonization as observed by World Health Organization. Decarbonization efforts have initiated innovation opportunities and which have similarly triggered business efficiency gains on which businesses are expected to capitalize on. The impacts of climate change present a significant challenge to SMEs, which are often seen as the drivers of economic growth in Kenya. This study intends to generate and provide an evidence and knowledge base to inform advice design, and implementation of public policies in upscaling private green investments that can generate green growth while creating decent employment. This study adopted desk top literature review relevant to the topic, descriptive and cross sectional survey designs. In this study data on environmental conservation and emission discharges among small and medium-sized enterprises was collected from interviews and observation from a sample of towns visited by the researcher. The study identified various strategies adopted by SMEs in environmental conservation with the aim of reducing emissions. These strategies included; digital marketing and digital operations, Policy and legislative frameworks, environmental footprint assessment and Eco innovation. In conclusion; the study observed that Climate change and waste emissions are serious global issues today. Therefore, meeting the challenges associated with it could provide an opportunity to create and trigger tremendous growth for SMEs.

Keywords: Environmental Conservation, Emissions, Green Economy, SMEs and Digitization

DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/15-19-07

Publication date: December 31^st 2023