New CFIB report outlines 10 guiding principles to create environmental policies with small businesses in mind

Toronto, May 11, 2023 – Small business owners are taking steps to make their operations more environmentally friendly, but they’re facing barriers on their path to go greener, says the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

In 2022, over half (53%) of business owners said there were simply higher priority issues that their business had to address first. This barrier has increased by nearly 40 percentage points since 2020.

“Small business owners have a lot weighing on them right now, from pandemic-related debt and skyrocketing costs to difficulty finding workers,” said Jasmin Guenette, Vice-President of National Affairs at CFIB. “It’s important that policy makers consider the current state of small business and how environmental policies and regulations will impact small businesses and the economy as a whole in the months ahead.”

The second largest barrier for 37% of businesses was uncertainty around whether any change they make will make a meaningful difference for the environment. Three in ten (32%) owners also said government grant programs were too complicated to use.