Co-author Kimberly Bartenfelder
Article originally published in The Local: Switzerland
Revolutionizing clean environmental business strategy from the inside out, Switzerland has prioritized sustainable practices for decades, making the country now the leading global influencer.
In Yale University's Environmental Performance Index for 2018, Switzerland came first out of 180 countries analyzed for success in environmental health and ecosystem vitality. We are sad to report, despite all the recent talk about a "Green New Deal" in America, the US on the same index ranked 27 and likely sinking under US President Donald Trump's environmental deregulations.
The US and the world should be taking note and learning from Swiss policy and practice, which combines environmental activism and business interests.
With decades worth of policy implementation, the Swiss have developed a sense of environment as part of the culture. Switzerland dominated the Yale survey because of policies like the 2001 green tax reform from the Federal Council, the Strategy on Biodiversity in the 2012 report released by the Swiss Confederation outlining dozens of goals for 2020, and the Spatial Planning Act for land use.
Swiss citizens and businesses care about the environment. The nation was the first to adopt a green economy in the constitution. They likely can remain number one.
Most applicable to modern Swiss citizens is the federal constitution's "Section Four Environment and Spatial Planning." Unlike the US Constitution, the Swiss specifically outline environment efforts ranging from sustainable development, land surveying, protection of water, forests, and animals, among various other articles. The US constitution in this exact regard pales in comparison.
Such advancements are presented through eco-innovation a booming development for the European giant. Classified as sophisticated technological pioneering, eco-innovations are fast growing and picking up substantial public and business sector backing. By investing in this practice, Switzerland creates an atmosphere of attainable sustainability, reinforcing the idea that eco-friendly operations are widespread.
Making headway for Swiss eco-innovation was the conception of the Cleantech Master Plan officially reported in 2011. The report outlines that, "The main objective of the Cleantech Master Plan is to strengthen businesses involved in developing and producing cleantech applications" which furthermore can, "be achieved through greater coordination of science, business, government and policy making."
Among the key players in cleantech are startup companies, They bring refreshing ideas to old techniques and expand on existing ones. Bottom line, it's transparent for business, policy, the environment, and the public alike.
Taken together, a greater Swiss ambition is achieved; making it standard practice to be environmentally aware and active.
Switzerland is admired for its breathtaking landscapes and the eco-tourism industry is also booming. It is of significant help that the Swiss have been environmentally conscious for so long that making a profit out of catering to tourists is without a doubt, a perceptive business plan. On top of that, the Swiss were the first to release an ecological footprint report in 2006, furthering the attraction of a greener, cleaner, and a better-off country than perhaps a tourist's native country.
A joint collaboration by the Swiss FSO, ARE, SDC, and FOEN, the 2006 report states: "Industrialized nations must be the first to take action." The ecological footprint that hovers over nations currently is the responsibility of these nations and, "To reduce consumption of energy and natural resources is theirs."
A detrimental blockage in US environmental progress, especially at present, is the existence of climate change deniers. Some influential American political figures are renowned for calling climate change a hoax or for being in complete denial of the subject. This sets back progress and stunts technologies that could be adapted from Swiss usage to American application.
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