The Limassol Chamber of Commerce & Industry was established in its present form in 1962 and represented the first concerted effort of the Limassol business community to have an organisation to defend its interests and promote the economic development of the Limassol district.
From its very inception the Limassol Chamber of Commerce & Industry has played a leading role in the economic life of Limassol, either by operating as a pressure group towards the realisation of vitally important economic projects or by developing concrete initiatives of its own in that direction.
Starting as far back as the early 1960s, the Chamber has played an instrumental role in the pursuit of projects fundamentally important for the economic and social development of Limassol. Not least of these were the Limassol Industrial Estates, the Limassol port which is to this day the largest of its kind in Cyprus. the Kourris dam, the marina, and the Cyprus University of Technology.
It was also the Limassol Chamber that conceived and implemented, again in the early 1960s, the idea of the Wine Festival, which has come to be associated with the modern history of Limassol as an event of commercial, tourist and cultural interest.
Over the years the Limassol Chamber has continued to be at the forefront of initiatives aiming to achieve optimum economic development for Limassol. In that context it has expressed keen and active interest, among others, in road projects, the Techno Park as well as in a series of tourist infrastructure projects, such as the conference centre, the casino and others.
Primary objectives
The fundamental objectives of the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry are the following:
- To defend and promote the interests of its members, in the context of the overall economic development of Limassol
- To promote economic activity in the context of contributing to the economic and social development of Limassol and facilitating the opening of new business opportunities for its members.
- To contribute towards the decision making process of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce & Industry which has a consultative say in the formulation of Government policy.
LCCI and Environmental Policy
The Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), guided by strong environmental awareness and its commitment to sustainable development and the circular economy, takes active steps through internal procedures and actions to minimise the environmental impact of its activities.
Within this framework, the Limassol Chamber has been certified with the environmental quality eco-labels Green Office 2018 and Zero Waste 2022 for buildings and offices. Since the construction of its privately owned building in 2005, the Chamber has adopted environmentally friendly practices and procedures for proper waste management, recycling almost all waste through the installation of separate bins for paper, plastics, batteries, and glass.
Collaborations have also been established with licensed waste management companies for the recycling of printer inks and toners, as well as computers and other electronic equipment.
There is continuous monitoring of water and energy consumption. By turning to renewable energy sources and aiming to contribute to climate action, a photovoltaic system was installed towards the end of 2019, and the benefits in terms of energy savings are now clearly visible.
Through continuous awareness-raising and information provided to staff on environmental issues, the secretariat of the LCCI has successfully fostered an environmentally responsible culture. The Chamber has also been established as an environmentally friendly workplace. The organisation’s waste mainly paper, plastics, and toners is disposed of in recycling bins with the active and valuable support of the Chamber’s staff.
The secretariat of the LCCI closely monitors environmental initiatives and actions undertaken by both the government and the European Union. At regular intervals, meetings and contacts are held involving the President and members of the Board of Directors on issues related to green growth, such as promoting proper waste management, the creation of a composting unit, the upgrading of the Pentakomo OEDA facility, and the provision of tools to local authorities (Pay As You Throw).
The Chamber both organises and participates in events and seminars that promote green growth. In addition, through its partners such as the Representation of the European Parliament in Cyprus and Green Dot articles on environmental protection and green development are published in the Chamber’s monthly newspaper, Entrepreneurial Limassol.
Since October 2021, the Chamber has been participating in the SME Climate Hub initiative, which aims to guide businesses towards net-zero emissions (net-zero business).
