During 2023, Fomento Los Ríos launched for the first time the “SosteniblesxNaturaleza” Activa Inversión program, a competitive fund created within the framework of the emblematic program of the same name and led by the institution with the aim of developing a support system so that SMEs in Los Ríos Rivers move towards sustainable productive development.
It is under this umbrella that the opening of the second call for the Activa program was announced, this time and just like last year, with a focus on sustainability. “We seek to be a support for SMEs, and through productive investment they can look at sustainability as a factor of adding value and competitiveness,” said Pablo Díaz, director of Fomento Los Ríos.
In that context, he added, “the evidence clearly shows that those SMEs that implement sustainable practices improve their productivity and increase their access to better markets,” he said.
From Fomento Los Ríos they explained that a sustainable investment focuses on the adoption of clean technologies, sustainable practices, efficient processes and responsible business models, which generate both economic, environmental and social benefits.
The fund, which is already open on the Fomento Los Ríos website, finances up to 20 million pesos for projects that increase the productivity and profits of companies, with the particularity that it will measure how companies have developed basic sustainability indicators, how much water It is concerned with each unit of product, the amount of energy used to produce each unit, the waste generated in each process, or well-being indicators such as the accident rate, for example. To do this, this instrument will finance all those fixed assets, work materials, supplies or infrastructure necessary to make these changes possible. In other words, it will support SMEs in incorporating best sustainable practices.
Second version
In the first call, made last year, the institution financed eight initiatives with an amount of 100 million 700 thousand pesos, while this year public investment will exceed 434 million pesos, increasing the budget by 331% compared to the previous year.
Regarding the benefits of investing in sustainability, Pablo Díaz stated that “by investing in sustainability, SMEs can improve their performance, reduce their environmental impact, improve working conditions, attract investments and contribute to the sustainable development of the economy. Today sustainability is not just an option, it is a necessity for the long-term development of SMEs.”
It should be noted that sustainability is one of the axes prioritized by the Regional Government through the regional development strategy and that its implementation in the business and productive sphere is one of the main challenges that the region has assumed in the face of climate change and global consumer trends and competitiveness.
Previous experience
Jaime Vergara is the owner of Agrícola Santa Elena, a dairy in the Paillaco commune who obtained the fund, and with which he implemented a photovoltaic solar plant with 44 panels that has allowed him to reduce his energy costs by 80% “with the Activa investment program SustainablexNature I have considerably reduced energy consumption in the milking parlour. As a small business, this financing was essential for us to carry out this project, which is very good, but sometimes it is difficult to finance it entirely with our own resources; so this fund undoubtedly means a great help for one as an SME.”
The 2024 version of this contest will be open until July 18 and is expected to finance at least 20 projects. More info, bases, and requirements at www.fomentolsorios.cl.
