Businesses are being urged to step up their role in the green transition while maintaining competitiveness, President Nikos Christodoulides told an event in Nicosia on Monday evening. 

Addressing the presentation of the Photos Photiades Group’s new sustainability initiative ‘Epilogi’, he said the programme tackles one of today’s biggest challenges, protecting the environment in a “structured, practical and specific way.”

“Industry”, he said, “remains a key pillar of Cyprus’s economy but also one with significant energy needs.”

“However, through energy-efficient technologies, management systems and renewable energy, companies can reduce both their consumption and environmental footprint, our minimum obligation to future generations, while also strengthening their long-term competitiveness,” he added.

Christodoulides also said that the government is promoting investments in renewable energy, smart systems and innovative technologies aimed at cutting costs and improving industrial resilience.

“Our National Energy and Climate Plan, submitted to the EU last December, includes concrete measures to reduce final energy consumption in industry by 15 per cent by 2030,” he said. 

Turning to the group’s ‘Epilogi’ programme, he said it shows that the green transition can be achieved “with vision, cooperation and investment in innovation.” 

He cited Carlsberg Cyprus as an example, noting that “by adopting innovative brewing equipment, automated production and quality control systems, and energy management and heat recovery processes, the company has significantly reduced energy use per unit of output”.

“By also harnessing solar power, using locally produced biomethane, and implementing sustainable water and waste management, Carlsberg Cyprus is putting the circular economy into action,” Christodoulides added, “ensuring production waste is reintegrated into the local economy”.