SwitchMed in Lebanon

United Nations 3 years ago

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.
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layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 9 hours ago



Sustainable construction is entering a more demanding phase as climate resilience shifts from voluntary reporting to boardroom risk management. Developers, contractors and asset owners are under growing pressure to treat flood risk, heat stress, grid capacity and adaptation as core investment criteria. Whole life carbon, embodied carbon and life cycle cost are becoming central to procurement, planning and asset valuation, not optional metrics for sustainability reports.

The direction of European policy reinforces this shift. Ursula von der Leyen’s warning that prosperity will be shaped by climate action and AI points to stronger clean-tech and digital measures, with direct implications for sustainable building design, energy-efficient buildings and net zero carbon buildings. Analysis from Ember on smarter, more flexible energy systems strengthens the case for buildings as active grid assets. Low carbon design, demand optimisation and building lifecycle performance are becoming essential to decarbonising the built environment.

In the UK, official advice that Heathrow expansion would conflict with climate targets unless sustainable aviation fuel and greenhouse-gas removals scale materially sends a wider signal to infrastructure and construction. Carbon-intensive development will face closer scrutiny, with stronger expectations for credible mitigation, whole life carbon assessment and transparent lifecycle assessment. The embodied carbon in materials, the carbon footprint of construction and the use of low embodied carbon materials are likely to carry greater weight in planning consent, funding decisions and supply-chain evaluation.

The government’s post-Grenfell fire-safety update underlines a critical point for green construction: retrofit, insulation, renewable building materials and innovative green building products must meet stricter safety expectations. Sustainable architecture cannot advance through performance claims alone. Eco-design for buildings, sustainable material specification and environmental product declarations (EPDs) will need to support both safety and environmental sustainability in construction.

The market signal is clear. Sustainable construction is moving towards net zero whole life carbon, circular economy principles and resource efficiency in construction. Circular economy in construction, end-of-life reuse in construction and circular construction strategies are becoming practical routes to carbon footprint reduction and lower environmental impact of construction. BREEAM, BREEAM V7 and comparable frameworks are likely to gain importance as clients seek evidence-based standards for low carbon building, green infrastructure and sustainable urban development. Sustainability is no longer a decorative label for construction; it is becoming the specification for resilient, investable and compliant assets.

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