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.
Uruguay’s near-complete transition to renewable electricity illustrates how sustainable construction can achieve net zero whole life carbon performance when powered by a clean grid. Projects adopting fully electrified plant, high-efficiency retrofits and green procurement show that green construction gains both environmental and economic value through life cycle cost optimisation.
The use of renewable building materials and low embodied carbon materials ensures that embodied carbon in materials and the total carbon footprint of construction are minimised. Whole life carbon assessment is becoming standard practice, linking lifecycle assessment with eco-design for buildings to achieve measurable reductions in the environmental impact of construction.
Colombia’s decision to withdraw from the Investor-State Dispute Settlement system signals a changing policy landscape for environmental sustainability in construction. Developers face new challenges in financing but gain policy room to advance sustainable building design, sustainable material specification and broader circular economy in construction objectives. The move supports circular construction strategies that promote resource efficiency in construction, end-of-life reuse in construction and the drive toward carbon neutral construction consistent with global goals for net zero carbon buildings.
Rising climate extremes demand that energy-efficient buildings integrate passive cooling, flood resilience and adaptive layouts as fundamental aspects of sustainable building practices. Low carbon building design now incorporates life cycle thinking in construction to address both operational and embodied carbon. The approach advances resilient, eco-friendly construction supported by green building materials and the principles of sustainable architecture.
Across markets, social value delivery is strengthening as stakeholders embed sustainable design outcomes within tenders and post-occupancy assessments. The focus is shifting toward verifiable whole life carbon performance, proven building lifecycle performance and transparent environmental product declarations (EPDs) within frameworks such as BREEAM and BREEAM v7. The collective direction of sustainable urban development aligns with low carbon construction materials, green infrastructure and decarbonising the built environment to ensure that each project contributes to long-term sustainability targets and measurable carbon footprint reduction.
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