As part of the launch of the program, the IIC and BBVA Colombia have organized a series of information and training workshops aimed at businesspeople in the cities of Bogotá (27 October), Medellín (28 October) and Cali (29 October) in order to raise awareness among businessmen of the importance of energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies as a way of improving business competitiveness and promoting respect for the environment.

The initiative is also supported by the Ministry of Mining and Energy through active participation by the Mining and Energy Planning Unit and by international companies experienced in the field and committed to promoting sustainability such as Applus, Telefónica, Zeroemissions and Creara Consultores, which is also acting as a technical coordinator for the workshops.

In addition, the program has financial backing from a number of donors, particularly the Korea-IIC SME Development Trust Fund. 

Those companies participating in the Greenpyme program that comply with certain eligibility criteria and have been selected for their energy saving potential can receive free assistance from the IIC for energy audits and technical feasibility studies exploring the adoption of clean technologies.
SMEs will also be able to use new specialized lines of finance offered by BBVA Colombia to implement more efficient new investments. The aim is to facilitate access by a large number of Colombian companies to this technical and financial support. These companies can in turn serve as an example and extend the initiative to more companies across the country.

“BBVA Colombia is a company committed to the care of the environment, as can be seen from our compliance with the Equator Principles (we are the only entity committed to this World Bank initiative) and the implementation of our Eco-Efficiency plan,” according to the Chairman of BBVA Colombia, Óscar Cabrera.

“Our support to this Greenpyme initiative is an opportunity to continue promoting the Millennium Goals, policies for reducing polluting emissions and rationalization in the use of energy to minimize the impact of global warming and its effects on developing countries," added the Chairman.

The Colombia launch is the first time the Greenpyme program has been implemented in Latin America.