Access to investment and working capital is crucial to support SMEs in professionalising and expanding their SCP practices and services. A new Finance Brief 
produced by the SWITCH-Asia SCP Facility presents an overview of financing opportunities for SMEs
and their SCP-related activities and summarises recommendations to Development Finance Institutions for increasing (access to) relevant funding in India.
The study found there are limited general and SCP-specific financing options for Indian SMEs and funding is low compared to actual demand (Development Alternatives 2020). Priority sector lending targets, issued by the Reserve Bank of India to foster economic development (e.g. through micro enterprises and SMEs, social infrastructure and renewable energy) do not reflect in actual lending behaviour (Tandon 2020).
Some financing options exist and include Government schemes, Indian banking sector, Microfinance Institutions, Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFIs), as well as venture capital and impact investment. The report details opportunities and pinpoints to aa range of SCP schemes directly accessible to SMEs. Additionally, the brief highlights recommendation to development institutions.
The Finance Brief summarises main findings of a desk analysis, literature review and interviews conducted on the topic of access to finance for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) practices by SMEs in India. The analysis was conducted as part of work in support of the EU SWITCH-Asia programme, by the SWITCH-Asia SCP Facility.