The Lebanese Sustainable Consumption and Production National Action Plan (SCP-NAP) was developed under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment (MoE) in close collaboration with the Ministry of Industry (MoI) and other key partners under the EU funded SwitchMed programme. with advisory services and technical support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The Plan is part of Lebanon’s efforts to achieve Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. The SCP-NAP (SDG 12.1) prioritizes the mainstreaming of SCP in the industrial sector’s policies and plans and as developed in a participatory and consultative approach. SCP-NAP Summary was also available. Switch to Circular Economy: Under SwitchMed II, a short document "How Lebanon is switching to a Circular Economy" was prepared to present an overview on how the country is implementing activities/policies/programs on SCP and Circular Economy.In this document you will see 10 success stories inspired by the work of SwitchMed in the Lebanese Republic. They show how what began in workshops developed into plans that created a ripple that flowed out around the country. This short publication shows that opportunities for countries from sustainable consumption and production are rich and varied. The Switch to SCP is off and running. SwitchMed is proud to have supported Lebanon in its work to build a society where people and planet thrive and prosper together. Lebanon has already developed integrated plans and a regulatory framework that have SCP at their core. For some time now, it has been building on these, expanding its waste reduction plan, establishing a circular economy, and further developing its work on sustainable water managements and energy solutions. It is clear that SCP is no longer just something discussed in meeting rooms. Now it is happening on the ground, across business and industry, in cities and regions, reducing pollution, improving the air we breathe, and promoting better use of nature’s gifts through resource-efficient and low-carbon consumption and production practices. Demonstration project: UNEP work with Lebanese NGO - Nusaned under SwitchMed II in Lebanon on a community-based pilot in the Mar Mikhael - Gemmayze area in Beirut which seeks to address the challenges of reduction and prevention of food waste and packaging waste to divert them from landfills using concepts of SCP and circular economy. The outputs include: Green and Circular Restaurants Project Report Plastics Circle Report Food Circle Report Guideline for Restaurants Eateries to become Green and Circular For each of these documents 2-page and 10-page factsheet/summary delivered: Nudawwer Project Nudawwer Food Circle Nudawwer Plastics Circle Nudawwer Green and Circular Restaurants SM II Lebanon Nudawwer SM II Lebanon Nudawwer Food Circle SM II Lebanon Nudawwer Plastics Circle SM II Lebanon Nudawwer Green and Circular Restaurants Policy recommendations of the different “circles” Next steps will be the organization of national restitution events and the preparation of communication and awareness raising material. We looking forward to replicate this collaboration in the other on-going projects under SwitchMed II with the Hariri Foundation in Saida.
- UK on‑site solar is accelerating, cutting energy bills for energy‑efficient buildings and strengthening low carbon design pathways to net zero carbon buildings. Projects that pair rooftop PV with storage and demand‑side response advance decarbonising the built environment and improve resilience where grid access is constrained.
- BloombergNEF reports a global fall in renewables investment in H1 driven by policy shifts in China, tightening supply chains and finance for sustainable construction. Developers should diversify procurement and financing to protect sustainable building design goals and maintain momentum toward carbon neutral construction.
- Grid connection delays now shape delivery risk. Housebuilders face long queues behind data centres, slowing electrification of homes, heat pumps and EV charging. Private wires, co‑located storage and flexible loads offer near‑term optionality, with stronger cases for green infrastructure and connection reform to reduce the environmental impact of construction.
- Materials decisions are shifting to whole life value. Clients are prioritising whole life carbon, whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle assessment over headline embodied carbon, using life cycle cost, building lifecycle performance and life cycle thinking in construction to guide sustainable material specification. Environmental product declarations (EPDs), low embodied carbon materials and renewable building materials support eco‑design for buildings and resource efficiency in construction.
- Engineered timber and other green building materials can cut the carbon footprint of construction and embodied carbon in materials, yet rising prices are compressing margins and increasing latent defect risk. Robust specification, quality assurance and end‑of‑life reuse in construction are essential to protect warranties and deliver net zero whole life carbon with low‑impact construction.
- Resilience finance is scaling. A drought‑resilience platform launched at COP17 aims to mobilise up to $400m, reflecting a shift to paying for disasters before they occur. After the Himalayan floods in Nepal, insurers, lenders and planners are pricing resilience into approvals, premiums and valuations, embedding environmental sustainability in construction and supporting sustainable urban development.
- Delivery guidance for the sector: target carbon footprint reduction where policy tailwinds exist; build optionality into power supply; select low carbon construction materials and green building products for performance over decades; apply circular construction strategies and circular economy in construction principles; align designs with BREEAM and BREEAM V7 for credible sustainable building practices; pursue net zero carbon and eco‑friendly construction through sustainable design that withstands volatile markets and grid constraints.
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