IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v15y2022i18p6577-d909992.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Facing Environmental Goals for Energy-Efficiency Improvements in Micro and Small Enterprises Operating in the Age of Industry 4.0

Author

Listed:
  • Tomasz Bernat

    (Economics Department, Institute of Economics and Finance, University of Szczecin, 64 Mickiewicza Street, 71-101 Szczecin, Poland)

  • Sylwia Flaszewska

    (Division of Strategic Management, Institute of Management, Faculty of Organization and Management, Lodz University of Technology, 221 Wólczańska Street, 93-005 Lodz, Poland)

  • Bartłomiej Lisowski

    (Interdisciplinary Doctoral School, Lodz University of Technology, 116 Stefana Żeromskiego Street, 90-543 Lodz, Poland)

  • Renata Lisowska

    (Department of Entrepreneurship and Industrial Policy, Faculty of Management, University of Lodz, 22/26 Matejki Street, 90-237 Lodz, Poland)

  • Katarzyna Szymańska

    (Division of Strategic Management, Institute of Management, Faculty of Organization and Management, Lodz University of Technology, 221 Wólczańska Street, 93-005 Lodz, Poland)

Abstract

One of the biggest challenges of a modern enterprise is finding a balance between achieving environmental goals and being competitive in the era of Industry 4.0 requirements. The digital revolution is forcing companies to overcome various challenges that contribute to reducing energy consumption. Micro and small enterprises carry out activities in the field of energy efficiency by implementing measures to save energy and reduce total energy consumption. However, these activities are limited by many barriers to resources, which means that these activities are much smaller than those in large companies. The purpose of this study was to assess the performance of micro and small enterprises following environmental objectives in improving energy efficiency. The research study, based on a structured and standardized survey questionnaire, was conducted with the use of the CATI technique between April and May 2022 among the owners of micro and small enterprises operating in Poland. The study showed that: (a) the activities of Polish micro- and small-sized companies were aimed at improving energy efficiency through the implementation of environmental objectives; (b) the operation of enterprises in accordance with contemporary environmental requirements improved energy efficiency; and (c) Polish micro- and small-scale enterprises took actions in compliance with environmental requirements.

Suggested Citation

  • Tomasz Bernat & Sylwia Flaszewska & Bartłomiej Lisowski & Renata Lisowska & Katarzyna Szymańska, 2022. "Facing Environmental Goals for Energy-Efficiency Improvements in Micro and Small Enterprises Operating in the Age of Industry 4.0," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-16, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:18:p:6577-:d:909992
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/18/6577/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/18/6577/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Agusti Segarra-Blasco and Elisenda Jove-Llopis, 2019. "Determinants of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in European SMEs," Economics of Energy & Environmental Policy, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 2).
    2. Anna Pamula, 2020. "Energy Efficiency Clusters and Platforms as a Potential for SMEs Development: Poland Case Study," Eurasian Studies in Business and Economics, in: Mehmet Huseyin Bilgin & Hakan Danis & Ender Demir (ed.), Eurasian Business Perspectives, pages 367-383, Springer.
    3. Duch-Brown, Néstor & Rossetti, Fiammetta, 2020. "Digital platforms across the European regional energy markets," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    4. Fawcett, Tina & Hampton, Sam, 2020. "Why & how energy efficiency policy should address SMEs," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    5. Christian Arnold & Daniel Kiel & Kai-Ingo Voigt, 2016. "How The Industrial Internet Of Things Changes Business Models In Different Manufacturing Industries," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(08), pages 1-25, December.
    6. Trianni, A. & Cagno, E., 2012. "Dealing with barriers to energy efficiency and SMEs: Some empirical evidences," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 494-504.
    7. Huang, Albert Ying-Je & Liu, Ruey-Hua, 2008. "Learning for supplying as a motive to be the early adopter of a new energy technology: A study on the adoption of stationary fuel cells," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 2143-2153, June.
    8. Trianni, Andrea & Cagno, Enrico & Farné, Stefano, 2016. "Barriers, drivers and decision-making process for industrial energy efficiency: A broad study among manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 1537-1551.
    9. Anna Adamik, 2020. "SMEs on the Way to the Smart World of Industry 4.0," Eurasian Studies in Business and Economics, in: Mehmet Huseyin Bilgin & Hakan Danis & Ender Demir & Meltem Ş. Ucal (ed.), Eurasian Business Perspectives, pages 139-156, Springer.
    10. Jacques- Aviñó, Constanza & Peralta, Andrés & Carrere, Juli & Marí-Dell'Olmo, Marc & Benach, Joan & López, María-José, 2022. "Qualitative evaluation of an intervention to reduce energy poverty: Effects perceived by participants according to typologies of social vulnerability," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    11. Malgorzata Klaudia Guzowska & Barbara Kryk, 2021. "Efficiency of Implementing Climate/Energy Targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy and the Structural Diversity between Old and New Member States," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-18, December.
    12. Finnerty, Noel & Sterling, Raymond & Contreras, Sergio & Coakley, Daniel & Keane, Marcus M., 2018. "Defining corporate energy policy and strategy to achieve carbon emissions reduction targets via energy management in non-energy intensive multi-site manufacturing organisations," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 913-929.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Werner König & Sabine Löbbe & Stefan Büttner & Christian Schneider, 2020. "Establishing Energy Efficiency—Drivers for Energy Efficiency in German Manufacturing Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-31, October.
    2. Stavros Gennitsaris & Miguel Castro Oliveira & George Vris & Antonis Bofilios & Theodora Ntinou & Ana Rita Frutuoso & Catarina Queiroga & John Giannatsis & Stella Sofianopoulou & Vassilis Dedoussis, 2023. "Energy Efficiency Management in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Current Situation, Case Studies and Best Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-26, February.
    3. Olsthoorn, Mark & Schleich, Joachim & Hirzel, Simon, 2017. "Adoption of Energy Efficiency Measures for Non-residential Buildings: Technological and Organizational Heterogeneity in the Trade, Commerce and Services Sector," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 240-254.
    4. Sam Hampton & Richard Blundel & Aqueel Wahga & Tina Fawcett & Christopher Shaw, 2022. "Transforming small and medium‐sized enterprises to address the climate emergency: The case for values‐based engagement," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1424-1439, September.
    5. Monjurul Hasan, A S M & Trianni, Andrea & Shukla, Nagesh & Katic, Mile, 2022. "A novel characterization based framework to incorporate industrial energy management services," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    6. Joakim Haraldsson & Maria T. Johansson, 2019. "Barriers to and Drivers for Improved Energy Efficiency in the Swedish Aluminium Industry and Aluminium Casting Foundries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-27, April.
    7. Otrachshenko, Vladimir & Hartwell, Christopher A. & Popova, Olga, 2023. "Energy efficiency, market competition, and quality certification: Lessons from Central Asia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    8. Caporale, Guglielmo Maria & Donati, Cristiana & Spagnolo, Nicola, 2023. "Small and medium sized European firms and energy saving measures: The role of financing," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    9. Daniela Artemisa Calu & Adriana Ana Maria Davidescu & Alina Mihaela Irimescu & Corina-Graziella Batca Dumitru & Viorel Avram, 2023. "Implementation of Energy Efficiency Improvement Measures in Romania and the Role of Professional Accountants," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 25(63), pages 479-479, April.
    10. Kelly M. Smith & Stephen Wilson & Paul Lant & Maureen E. Hassall, 2022. "How Do We Learn about Drivers for Industrial Energy Efficiency—Current State of Knowledge," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-26, April.
    11. Andrea Trianni & Davide Accordini & Enrico Cagno, 2020. "Identification and Categorization of Factors Affecting the Adoption of Energy Efficiency Measures within Compressed Air Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-51, October.
    12. Solnørdal, Mette Talseth & Thyholdt, Sverre Braathen, 2019. "Absorptive capacity and energy efficiency in manufacturing firms – An empirical analysis in Norway," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 978-990.
    13. Marlene Preiß, 2021. "Treiber und Hemmnisse betrieblicher Effizienzmaßnahmen – Vernetzung als Erfolgsfaktor [Drivers and barriers of operational efficiency measures—networking as a success factor]," Sustainability Nexus Forum, Springer, vol. 29(2), pages 93-106, June.
    14. Mette Talseth Solnørdal & Lene Foss, 2018. "Closing the Energy Efficiency Gap—A Systematic Review of Empirical Articles on Drivers to Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing Firms," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-30, February.
    15. Garrone, Paola & Grilli, Luca & Mrkajic, Boris, 2017. "The energy-efficient transformation of EU business enterprises: Adapting policies to contextual factors," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 49-58.
    16. Herrera, Bernardo & Amell, Andrés & Chejne, Farid & Cacua, Karen & Manrique, Raiza & Henao, Wilson & Vallejo, Gabriel, 2017. "Use of thermal energy and analysis of barriers to the implementation of thermal efficiency measures in cement production: Exploratory study in Colombia," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(P1), pages 1047-1058.
    17. Djula Borozan & Luka Borozan, 2019. "Examining the Industrial Energy Consumption Determinants: A Panel Bayesian Model Averaging Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-17, December.
    18. A S M Monjurul Hasan & Andrea Trianni, 2020. "A Review of Energy Management Assessment Models for Industrial Energy Efficiency," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-21, November.
    19. Fredrik Backman, 2017. "Barriers to Energy Efficiency in Swedish Non-Energy-Intensive Micro- and Small-Sized Enterprises—A Case Study of a Local Energy Program," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-13, January.
    20. Anna Adamik & Dorota Sikora-Fernandez, 2021. "Smart Organizations as a Source of Competitiveness and Sustainable Development in the Age of Industry 4.0: Integration of Micro and Macro Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-27, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:18:p:6577-:d:909992. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.