Green Forward Launches Practical Toolbox to Strengthen Green Business Support in Lebanon
As part of the EU-funded Green Forward Programme in Lebanon, SPARK, together with its local implementing partner BIAT, has developed the Green Forward Toolbox, a practical resource designed to help Business Support Organizations (BSOs) better support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in their transition towards greener and more sustainable business models.
Developed as an open-access resource, the toolbox equips BSOs with practical tools and methodologies that can be integrated into their own operations and transferred to entrepreneurs through training, coaching, and mentoring. Rather than focusing on a specific sector, it provides adaptable frameworks that enable organizations across different industries to strengthen sustainability practices and circular economy approaches.
The toolbox covers the full journey of green business support, from strategic planning and organisational governance to business model development, financial sustainability, and impact measurement. Through five progressive learning modules, BSOs are introduced to internationally recognised methodologies, including Doughnut Economics, the Three Horizons Framework, the Lean Business Model Canvas, Theory of Change, and impact assessment tools. Each module includes facilitation guides, templates, calculation sheets, practical examples, and step-by-step resources that enable organizations to confidently apply the tools themselves before delivering them to the MSMEs they support.
Rather than serving as a standalone resource, the toolbox builds on the Green Business Training Academy delivered under the Green Forward Programme. It consolidates knowledge and materials from the programme’s thematic workshops into a practical reference library, allowing Business Support Organizations to continue applying and sharing what they have learned. This approach ensures continuity between capacity-building activities and their day-to-day work with entrepreneurs while promoting a common understanding of green and circular economy concepts across Lebanon’s business support ecosystem.
To ensure the toolbox responds to the realities of the Lebanese context, SPARK and BIAT adopted a collaborative and iterative development process. The first version was tested by three mature Business Support Organizations, the Lebanese League for Women in Business (LLWB), Michel Daher Social Foundation (MDSF), and the Lebanon Green Building Council (LGBC) during the Green Business Training Academy. Trainers and participating organizations provided practical feedback while using the tools in real learning environments, allowing improvements to be made before the toolbox was piloted with MSMEs.
Despite the challenging security situation in Lebanon, participating BSOs introduced the toolbox to entrepreneurs through both in-person and online training sessions. Feedback collected from MSMEs helped refine the final resource, ensuring it is practical, accessible, and responsive to the needs of organizations supporting green entrepreneurship.
By strengthening the capacity of Business Support Organizations, the Green Forward Toolbox helps build a stronger support ecosystem for green businesses in Lebanon. It enables BSOs to move beyond awareness-raising activities towards structured advisory services that help MSMEs develop stronger business models, improve financial planning, measure their impact, and integrate sustainability into business decision-making. In doing so, the toolbox supports the long-term development of a more resilient, innovative, and environmentally sustainable private sector.
About Green Forward
Green Forward is a European Union-funded initiative implemented by a consortium of partners working across three complementary levels in Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, and Egypt. At the macro level, Expertise France leads efforts to support the development of enabling green policies, legislation, and standards in close collaboration with national authorities and regional stakeholders. At the meso level, SPARK focuses on strengthening the capacity of Business Support Organizations (BSOs) to act as effective ecosystem enablers. At the micro level, UNIDO provides targeted technical support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), promoting the adoption of circular economy practices and improving access to green finance.