Start on Sustainability

The SOS project addressed the urgent need for practical sustainability support among Europe’s micro-enterprises (MEs), which represent the majority of SMEs’ environmental impact but often lack the tools and strategies to act. At project start, only 13% of EU SMEs had a sustainability plan. Through SOS, the consortium developed three core outputs: - The SOS Starter Kit - The SOS Action Plan App, and - Sustainability Networking Hub, creating an accessible, step-by-step pathway for small businesses to begin their sustainability transition. More than 75 micro-enterprises and 38 VET trainers participated in pilot testing across Work packages, providing direct feedback to make the resources developed through the SOS project to be, a) highly usable and b) of high quality. By combining expertise in sustainability, digital learning, and enterprise development, the project strengthened micro-enterprises’ capacity to act and equipped VET systems with scalable tools to embed green skills and practices across Europe.

Through the SOS project the consortium intended to and successfully equipped micro-enterprises with accessible tools and resources to take concrete steps toward sustainability, contributing to a more resilient and greener EU economy. The project aimed at and achieved its four core objectives: 1. Awareness and understanding: Over 75 micro-enterprises directly increased awareness of sustainable practices through the SOS Starter Kit, which simplified key concepts and shared relatable success stories. 2. Knowledge and skills: The Action Plan App enabled users to assess their sustainability performance and generate customised action plans. 3. Practice and collaboration: The Sustainability Networking Hub fostered peer learning and exchange among 150+ users, supporting real-world implementation. 4. Dissemination and legacy: The Share and Sustain Strategy ensured long-term access and use of results by VET trainers, educators and enterprise-support organisations. These achievements directly advanced EU Green Deal and SME Strategy priorities by embedding digital, innovative and inclusive approaches into sustainability education.

The SOS project implemented five Work Packages (WPs), each contributing to sustainability learning for micro-enterprises (MEs). WP1 – Project Management (GIG): Ensured coordination, reporting, and financial oversight. WP2 – Sustainability Starter Kit (GIG & partners): Produced an extensive guide introducing sustainability concepts, FAQs, and good practices, validated through 31 MEs at consultation stage and 68 owners at the pilot testing stage. WP3 – Action Plan App (EUEI & partners): Developed a digital self-assessment tool enabling MEs to evaluate performance, prioritise actions, and generate tailored sustainability roadmaps, validated through 80 MEs and 38 VET Trainers at the pilot testing stage. WP4 – Sustainability Networking Hub (Momentum & partners): Built an interactive online platform with a resource library, peer-learning features, and a showcase of user stories, validated through 50 MEs and 26 VET Trainers at the pilot testing stage. WP5 – Share and Sustain Strategy (ATA & partners): Disseminated results via the project website, newsletters, and social media, while developing a long-term sustainability plan. All outputs were tested for usability, translated into German, Polish, Spanish languages.

The SOS project produced five major outputs, directly contributing to MEs enterprise sustainability capacity across Europe. 1. Project Management: A comprehensive PM Plan, Risk Management Plan, and QA Strategy were developed to ensure consistency and accountability among partners. Regular monitoring through quarterly reports, timesheets, and trackers were carried out. 2. Sustainability Starter Kit: A publication introducing sustainability concepts, demystifying terminology, and sharing 28 good practice case studies, engaged 31 MEs for initial consultation and 68 micro-enterprises and VET organizations during development stages. 3. Action Plan App: A digital self-assessment and planning tool directly engaged 80 micro-enterprises and 38 VET trainers during development and testing stages, with an additional 1059 reached via dissemination to generate personalised sustainability roadmaps. 4. Sustainability Networking Hub: An interactive peer-learning platform directly engaged 50 ME staff and 26 VET Trainers, promoting collaboration and showcasing achievements. 5. Share and Sustain Strategy: Through the project website, newsletters, blogs, and social media outreach, over 17000 learners and Trainers were engaged and equipped.