How Businesses Can Learn Lessons from Lithuania When Planning Their Green Initiatives

Image by freepik

Today’s businesses have more accountability than ever before when designing environmentally sustainable operations. And while many countries are now putting their best foot forward when taking the lead in this area, some regions have shown more progression than others.

The Baltic region is one of these examples, specifically Lithuania, which is sometimes overlooked on a larger global scale. However, Lithuania has been vigorously committed to green initiatives for many years. It has recently been elected as European Green Capital 2025 due to its innovative sustainable technologies and support of a circular economy to minimize environmental impact.

When planning their own green initiatives, businesses from all over the globe can learn some valuable lessons by following various examples set by Lithuania.

Leveraging Government Support and Incentives

A key element to Lithuania’s success and general priorities regarding green initiatives comes from the large amounts of support it receives from its government. Businesses are actively encouraged to take a more serious role in sustainability, and frameworks are structured and regulated to ensure certain levels of compliance.

The Ministry of Finance has implemented initiatives like the Lithuanian Green Finance Action Plan for 2023-2026 to help mobilize investments focused on promoting the development of more green products. Lithuania’s government has also implemented several substantial tax breaks and other incentives for businesses that implement energy-efficient practices. For example, subsidies are available to organizations that need help funding their renewable energy projects, as well as grants set aside for certain research and development initiatives focused on designing more sustainable products.

The synergy between Lithuania’s government and local organizations when working toward environmentally sustainable actions demonstrates just how powerful policies can be when focused in the right areas. The more organizations that work directly with policymakers to help design and implement new incentives or programs focused on green initiatives, the faster regions can move toward progress.

Focus on Renewable Energy

Lithuania has made significant strides in creating more applications for the use of wind and hydropower and has seen a 2210% increase in renewables since the year 2000.

This commitment to renewables has not only reduced carbon emissions but has also helped to spur the growth of a domestic green energy sector. Collaborations between the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation and Innovation Agency’s GreenTech Hub team, for example, are currently leading an ambitious initiative to make Lithuania completely carbon neutral by 2050. This has led to the creation of new jobs and a more knowledgeable workforce, helping to stimulate economic development.

Businesses can draw inspiration from Lithuania’s focus on renewable energy by exploring their own options to integrate renewables into their operations. This could involve on-site renewable energy storage, like installing solar panels on rooftops or investing in small-scale wind turbines, to directly reduce a company’s reliance on grid electricity.

For businesses where on-site generation isn’t reasonable, purchasing renewable energy credits (RECs) is a great way to support green energy development and offset their electricity consumption. Companies can also choose to partner with and support green energy providers when selecting their electricity suppliers.

Waste Management and Circular Economy

In many countries, specifically those that focus heavily on manufacturing, there has been a traditional approach to resource management that follows a “take-make-dispose” path. However, Lithuania has continued to challenge this format, working to minimize waste how and wherever necessary, reusing materials in the most efficient ways possible, and reducing the environmental impact of production and consumption across various industries.

The examples set by Lithuania in this area can help businesses implement better waste management programs into their own models. Conducting comprehensive audits in the organization is a great start to this initiative and can help identify areas where businesses can maximize resource usage while lowering waste. This could involve optimizing or reducing product packaging or implementing resource management systems for use within the production and assembly line processes.

Employee training programs also play an important role in raising awareness about waste reduction strategies and helping staff make more sustainable choices in their daily work. Providing clear guidelines and practical tips on waste reduction can significantly contribute to a business meeting its long-term sustainability goals.

Investing in Innovative Technologies

For years now, Lithuania has positioned itself as a major hub for startup businesses, adding nearly 272 million EUR to the regional economy in 2023. Many of these ventures focus on green innovation technologies supporting renewable energy, waste management, and sustainable agriculture. One example is Lithuania’s Greentech or “Cleantech” cluster, which is an initiative that brings together businesses, research institutions, and government agencies to help support better collaboration and accelerate the development and adoption of new green technologies.

This has led to over 700 million EUR in investments made since 2017 in areas such as energy storage, smart grids, and sustainable transportation.

Increasing Long-Term Collaborations

Lithuania’s success in implementing green initiatives proves the importance of maintaining a long-term commitment to sustainable business practices and establishing strategic collaborations. Achieving progress in sustainability requires a comprehensive approach that involves setting achievable but ambitious goals, developing clear implementation plans, and tracking progress toward those targets.

Collaboration is crucial to making these initiatives happen. Businesses and government agencies must work together to support and move forward with shared environmental objectives. Having the right partnerships in place can make it easier to share knowledge, pool essential resources, and increase the impact of any individual efforts being made.

Leveraging Innovation Hubs

Innovation hubs like InnoHub Lithuania are instrumental in supporting better collaboration between US and Lithuania-based organizations and help to facilitate the creation of international partnerships. InnoHub Lithuania works as a bridge between Lithuanian startups and international businesses and investors for its members, providing them with essential resources, guidance, and networks to support expansion efforts.

By using a variety of mentorship programs, InnoHub Lithuania connects startups with experienced professionals who can offer valuable advice and help them navigate the complexities of building and maintaining international transatlantic partnerships.

The organization hosts networking events and workshops as well as organizes investor pitch events to provide companies with a platform to showcase their innovations and secure funding for growth. By leveraging these resources and additional support, businesses can work together to accelerate their sustainability goals and contribute to a greener future.

Place the Right Priority on Sustainability

Learning from Lithuania’s dedication to sustainability can encourage organizations to leverage available government support when focusing on renewable energy and embracing circular economies. In addition, by investing in more sustainable technologies and actively pursuing mutually beneficial partnerships, all businesses can do their part to help keep our environment in the best shape possible.