Agenda 21, to which the UK is committed, demands a balancing of environmental, economic and social imperatives at the local level. While local authorities have responded actively in developing initiatives, and larger businesses are increasingly participating locally in various ways, the highly significant small business sector remains largely unengaged. The relationships between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and locality in terms of environmental performance were investigated in the Greater Bristol area to determine their relevance to advice and training programmes. The outcomes of two pieces of work carried out in 1996-97 were analysed. In the first, attitudes and actions in relation to environmental performance of a locally representative sample of firms were investigated. The responses of bona fide SMEs (CEC, 1996) were compared with those of firms owned by larger companies. In the second, 'clean-up clinics' were taken to five industrial districts of Greater Bristol, and differences in the approaches of these local SME communities to environmental performance were compared. The study concludes that, despite increasing globalization of markets, locality remains a significant factor in SMEs' attitudes and behaviour, which may be harnessed in maximizing the effectiveness of programmes. 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.