The Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) is exploring the possibility of setting up a “one-stop green service centre” which would make it easier for companies to invest in green technology.
Speaking recently during a post-Budget breakfast discussion at Hilton Barbados, president Lalu Vaswani said this “seamless service” would bring together all the elements that are required for a company to become green.
“You would have a company that would provide diagnostic services and certify how much you can [save] if you were to invest in green technology.
“You [would] have another company that provides an insurance policy covering the risk, so if you invest that money and it does not happen, that insurance policy will kick in.
“Then we’ll have a member of the financial sector who will take that insurance policy as full collateral to provide 100 per cent finance,” he said.
Vaswani said the BCCI was also looking to build international linkages.
“Two years ago we formed a partnership with the Greater Charlotte Chamber Of Commerce in Prince Edward Island [Canada] and we had a visit earlier this year from them and this September we’ll be [making] a reciprocal visit to them.
“The goal of these types of initiatives is to expand our reach, to identify where we can get better products or where we can get to expose our culture.
“Although we may have global quality products, we may not have all the skill sets to get into a global market but we can use synergies with international companies,” he said.
The president also announced that the chamber has formed a health and wellness committee designed to promote greater consciousness of the need for health and wellness.
“The idea is that we have companies that have excellent programmes already for their staff and we want to share that in the community.
“We want to leverage partnerships with health clubs, gyms and so forth so that we can focus on being healthier and therefore make a dent in that notorious label that we have of having a high level of chronic illness,” he said. (NB)