The Egyptian Sustainable Consumption and Production National Action Plan (SCP-NAP) was developed under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment and the Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE) under the EU-funded SwitchMed programme, with advisory services and technical support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The plan is part of Egypt’s efforts to achieve Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. The SCP-NAP (SDG12.1) addresses four priority sectors water, energy, agriculture, and municipal solid waste and was developed in Egypt through nationally owned multistakeholder processes. The SCP-NAP for Egypt was officially launched on April 18th, 2016 at a side event during the 6th special session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Cairo, Egypt. SCP-NAP demonstration projects: The implementation of the plan is ongoing through selected projects and initiatives. A selection process led by the Ministry of Environment with participation of different government stakeholders and the Projects Steering Committee choose two projects from the list of 28 project proposals of the Sustainable Consumption and Production National Action Plan: reducing plastic bag consumption and mainstreaming sustainable public procurement (SPP). CEDARE was designated by the Ministry of Environment as SwitchMed leading implementing partner for both projects. Reducing plastic bag consumption: Egypt consumes around 12 billion plastic bags annually, which vastly affects humans’ health as well as animal and marine life. The Ministry of Environment, CEDARE and UNEP cooperated with 7 main supermarket chains (Metro, Carrefour, HyperOne, Ragab Sons, Kheir Zaman, Fathalla Market & Al Raya Market) to encourage Egyptians reducing their consumption of plastic bags and to shift towards more environment-friendly alternatives. Sustainable public procurement (SPP): Sustainable public procurement is one of the priorities in the Sustainable Consumption and Production National Action Plan aiming at pointing out the importance of the public sector and government in creating a push and a demand for and from local markets for green and sustainable products. By acting as a role model in creating a mechanism for purchasing sustainable goods and services, other market stakeholders can be directly and indirectly influenced to join in promoting sustainable procurement and purchasing. Several activities were developed in Egypt to allow the country to move ahead in promoting sustainable public procurement practices and foster the switch through concrete actions and tools. For detailed project information please download the factsheets of the demo project.
The global construction sector is transitioning from ambition to measurable delivery, with sustainable construction becoming integral to both policy and practice. The UK–Japan investment partnership underscores this evolution through targeted funding for offshore wind and nuclear power, recognising that grid networks must modernise in tandem with clean generation. These efforts strengthen energy security while advancing decarbonising the built environment and reducing the carbon footprint of construction across its entire value chain.
Across Britain, solar installations on public estates are embedding renewable generation into everyday infrastructure, showing that energy-efficient buildings are no longer aspirational but fundamental to sustainable urban development. Analysts argue that redirecting fossil-fuel subsidies towards sustainable building design could accelerate progress toward net zero whole life carbon targets and reduce the whole life carbon impact of civic assets. This reinforces the need for whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle assessment in all public projects, ensuring transparency in life cycle cost, embodied carbon, and end-of-life reuse in construction.
The industry’s digital transformation is driving resource efficiency in construction, as platforms such as Digital Construction Week highlight the potential of data-driven eco-design for buildings. Organisations adopting circular economy in construction models report improved building lifecycle performance and measurable reductions in embodied carbon in materials. Certification frameworks like BREEAM and BREEAM v7 are embedding quantifiable environmental sustainability in construction, linking design intent to operational carbon outcomes.
A coherent policy environment that favours sustainable material specification, low carbon construction materials, and green building products is essential to achieving carbon neutral construction. Governments and developers are increasingly evaluating low embodied carbon materials through environmental product declarations (EPDs) and promoting circular construction strategies that minimise waste and encourage reuse within a circular economy. The emphasis on low-impact construction and green infrastructure is reshaping how cities grow, supporting sustainable architecture and eco-friendly construction as standard.
Across the built environment, professionals are converging on a shared goal: to deliver net zero carbon buildings through sustainable design and life cycle thinking in construction. The sector is shifting from promise to performance, embracing sustainable building practices that reduce embodied carbon, support carbon footprint reduction, and enable the creation of greener, more resilient infrastructure for future generations.
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