The UAE has revealed its plans to develop the first-ever sustainability accreditation framework explicitly designed for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
EcoMark Global Accreditation will be digitally enabled and based on ISO standards. Its focus will be boosting the competitiveness of MSMEs in the global green economy by streamlining and standardising the regulatory processes surrounding sustainability benchmarking worldwide, according to the announcement.
The EcoMark certification will include a full suite of resources to help MSMEs attain EcoMark status, covering document requirement guidelines and a roadmap to progress from basic to advanced levels of sustainability, and a standardised application process and complete eligibility criterion for accreditors in the participating countries.
The framework will be overseen by a central body headquartered in the UAE.
“MSMEs must have full access to the global trading system if our vision of a more sustainable and equitable global economy is to be realised”
His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade
The initiative was announced at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos by His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, during a panel discussion titled ‘A New Trade Order: Inclusive Growth’.
The panel highlighted the need to help emerging enterprises keep pace with increasing consumer demand for products and services that comply with green standards.
Launching the initiative, Al Zeyoudi emphasised that MSMEs have a pivotal role in driving the transition toward a lower-carbon economy. He described them as “important agents of change, with the flexibility and singularity of focus required to drive sustainability across value chains.”
The minister said the announcement builds on the progress made at COP’s first-ever Trade Day held in Dubai last month, where the UAE hosted a series of critical conversations on the contribution of trade to the climate change challenge.
