LocationsMicro-Engines of Macro Change: How Innovation and Green Energy are Rewiring North Macedonia’s Small Businesses
June 25, 2026
On Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Day 2026, the global focus turns to a powerful truth: these businesses are the true backbone of our economies. They represent over 90 percent of businesses worldwide, and the percentage is even bigger in North Macedonia. MSMEs are our most critical engines of jobs, livelihoods, and local growth - particularly for women, young people, and vulnerable groups.
Yet today, as we face intersecting economic, climate, and technological challenges, many find themselves on the front lines. Rising operational costs, supply chain vulnerabilities, and a persistent global funding gap make survival a daily hurdle. Many struggle to access the affordable loans needed to modernize, leaving them vulnerable to market volatility.
But where there is pressure, there is also an unparalleled opportunity for transformation. Under the 2026 UN theme, "Empowering MSMEs through Innovation and Sustainable Industrial Development," the focus is on bridging that gap. By expanding access to green innovation, digital tools, and targeted financing, we can unlock progress for SDGs and help them overcome the obstacles.
In North Macedonia, through the Green Finance Facility (GFF) programme, local family businesses are turning energy vulnerabilities into competitive advantages, proving that sustainable industrial development starts at the municipal level.
Turning the Page on the Energy Crisis: Grafoservis Strumica
In the city of Strumica, Grafoservis has been present since 1992. As the only dedicated printing and packaging facility of such scope in the city, the company has spent over three decades evolving. When rapid digitalization changed the nature of traditional print, the family business successfully pivoted into specialized digital printing, labels, and packaging, securing livelihoods for its 26 employees.
But a few years ago, a new challenge emerged: the global energy crisis. For a manufacturing business running heavy printing machinery, skyrocketing electricity bills threatened to erase decades of hard work.
"As a family business, you learn to adapt to market changes, but the energy crisis was a different kind of pressure," says Gorgi Peltekovski, owner of Grafoservis. "We knew that to protect our team and keep our competitive edge, we needed an energy transformation."
Through support from the Green Finance Facility, Grafoservis installed a rooftop solar photovoltaic plant. The impact was immediate and structural. Today, the facility generates enough clean energy to power its entire digital printing operation, consuming half of what it produces and selling the remaining 50% back to the national grid.
But Peltekovski isn't stopping there. He is already looking toward the next phase of industrial innovation. "Our goal now is to install battery storage systems. With the right next-stage financing, batteries will allow us to store our excess solar power and sell it back to the grid during peak hours at higher margins. Innovation is a continuous journey."
A Double Win for the Environment: AB Novoselski pat
Just across town, another enterprise is proving that pollution prevention can be a core business model. AB Novoselski pat is a multi-sector business well-known for its vehicle service centers, car washes, and auto parts trade across nine national retail shops. Crucially, they are also manufacturers - producing distilled water, antifreeze, windshield fluids, and AdBlue, a vital liquid solution used to reduce harmful nitrogen oxide emissions from diesel exhaust pipes.
For a company whose primary product has positive impact on the environment, reducing their own industrial carbon footprint was the logical next step. Through the GFF they invested in a massive rooftop photovoltaic system across their existing facilities in Strumica.
There is a positive parallel: while their AdBlue helps reduce pollution in transport, their new solar roofs prevent carbon pollution at the source of production. What started as a modest pilot project on their main office roof has now scaled up, covering all available roof space on their commercial buildings.
"We wanted our production process to match the environmental purpose of our products," explains Gorgi Novoselski, BSc in Traffic Engineering, owner of AB Novoselski pat. "The financial structure made sense for us. By generating our own clean electricity and selling the surplus back to the network, the revenue we earn from the excess power covers our credit payments for the solar investment itself. And it protects the environment."
The Power of Partnerships
The stories of Grafoservis and AB Novoselski pat demonstrate that when MSMEs are given affordable access to green finance, they don't just survive economic shocks, they lead the transition toward a low-carbon economy.
These transformations are made possible through the Green Finance Facility, a landmark programme funded by the UN Joint SDG Fund, the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) that offer grants to SMEs for energy efficient and renewable energy solutions. The programme is implemented by UNDP North Macedonia in close partnership with EBRD, IOM, and UNECE, alongside participating local financial institutions.
This MSMEs Day, let’s recognize that empowering small businesses with green technology and innovative financing is the clear way for building resilient, fair, and sustainable communities.