Italian SMEs see decarbonisation as a critical factor for the future and “a tangible opportunity for growth”, but in many cases they face difficulties in making significant investments as they pursue the energy transition. Economic considerations are heavily influenced by changes in public incentives, while, at a cultural level, awareness of the importance of new strategies now appears to be firmly established in Italy.
This is highlighted by the latest edition of the Argos-BCG Climate Transition Barometer, a survey conducted by OpinionWay among a sample of companies in five European countries. The survey focuses on how SMEs perceive the energy transition and on the measures companies have implemented or are planning in this area.
In Italy, 87% of the companies surveyed consider decarbonisation an opportunity, the highest figure among the countries analysed, while 47% say they are working to accelerate their transition, up 15 percentage points from the previous year. At European level, meanwhile, 88% of companies consider decarbonisation an “important” or “critical” factor for the future, 73% see it as an opportunity for growth, and 56% report a competitive advantage linked to their climate strategies.
Compared with the other countries analysed, however, Italy presents a particular situation: only 9% of companies make “significant” investments in decarbonisation, defined as more than 10% of annual expenditure. According to the survey, one of the main reasons is related to public incentives, including the reallocation in mid-2025 of PNRR resources earmarked for the transition of SMEs, the various revisions to the regulatory framework, and the gradual phasing out of dedicated support schemes. In short, the issue is not so much scepticism about the transition itself, but rather the difficulty of accessing the resources needed to implement projects.
There is therefore still much to be done to accelerate the transition towards zero emissions, but attention to and awareness of these issues within the Italian business community are growing.
