Private sector urged to offer green incentives

The private sector has an important role to play in implementing initiatives to safeguard the environment and should launch schemes that provide an incentive for the purchase of environment-friendly products, Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino said yesterday.

He was speaking during a meeting with Cassar and Cooper, led by its chairman William Harding and managing director John Cooper.

The company has launched a scheme whereby anyone buying property off its website is given up to €1,000 (Lm429.30) worth of environment-friendly domestic appliances. The government would continue to lead by example as regards the protection of the environment, Mr Pullicino said, and was aiming to introduce financial schemes to promote technologies that generate clean energy on a domestic and commercial scale.

In fact, it was allocating €33 million (Lm14.17 million) from EU funds for these sectors. The government would also be reviewing the legal framework to introduce more efficiency in energy use by commercial and public buildings.