Business with a conscience

Environmental protection has only recently become a discussion topic in Slovakia. The pressure related to meeting directives, regulations and various limits came only after Slovakia had joined the European Union. Until then, both the state and companies approached the issue on voluntary basis. And that was logical as environment- related investments are considered non-profitable, i.e. either not generating a profit at all or having only a minor positive financial effect. But what causes concerns to someone may be just the right business opportunity to someone else. Building sewage networks, waste separation systems or ecological counselling represent only a part of the ecology business. The Ministry of Environment estimates the total value of the market, which will be divided up over the next seven years between suppliers of environmental technologies and services, to be about 200 billions Slovak crowns (5.92 billions Eur). Recently the fight against air pollution and climatic changes have become very popular with politicians. Subsidies to energies produced using renewable energy sources and the creation of virtual commodities like CO2 emission permits represent only one part of the environmental business.However, the scope of new opportunities the the European Union legislation offers is much wider. (authors)