Is your customer eligible to apply?
Essentially private sector organisations that fall within the definition of SMEs in England or Scotland and all businesses in Wales or Northern Ireland, that have been trading for at least 12 months and have an acceptable credit rating.
The EU State Aid definition of an SME is a company with:
- Less than 250 employees;
- Less than €50m turnover (approximately £35m) OR less than €43m assets (approximately £30m);
- No controlling interest more than 25% by a non-SME(ie it is part of a larger organisation).
Loans are not available to the following business sectors following changes to EU regulations on State Aid changed in January 2007:
- Agricultural sector – any enterprise active in the primary production of agricultural products is generally excluded. However enterprises involved in the processing and marketing of agricultural produce are generally acceptable unless their business is preparing animal or plant produce for the first sale. Such enterprises would also be excluded if the benefit of the loan is passed on to primary producers.
- Export Related sector
- if the loan will support export related activities and is directly linked to the quantities exported, to the establishment and operation of a distribution network, or to other current expenditure linked to the export activity.
- Transport sector
– we can not provide loans to enterprises, whose core business is road freight transport, for the acquisition of transport vehicles.
- Fisheries and Aquaculture sectors
- we are generally unable to make loans to enterprises in these sectors.
- Coal sector
- enterprises active in this sector are not eligible.
In addition the Carbon Trust does not currently provide loans to enhance the energy efficiency of vehicles.
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