SwitchMed in Lebanon

United Nations 2 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 1 hour ago



Capital and policy are converging to redefine sustainable construction performance across the UK and Ireland. The low‑carbon economy delivered record revenues, directing investment towards net zero carbon buildings and credible decarbonisation pathways supported by whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle assessment. Financial scrutiny is intensifying as investors demand transparency in environmental product declarations (EPDs) and evidence of measurable carbon footprint reduction across the built environment.

Ireland’s Circular Economy Strategy embeds circular economy in construction as standard practice, requiring designers to reduce embodied carbon in materials, prioritise end‑of‑life reuse in construction and align specifications with circular construction strategies. Wales’ statutory nature targets integrate biodiversity into sustainable building practices, linking planning compliance directly to habitat restoration and green infrastructure delivery. These policies are transforming eco‑design for buildings from voluntary sustainability statements into enforceable procurement expectations, driving resource efficiency in construction and greater accountability for environmental sustainability in construction projects.

System-level design is reshaping the economics of low carbon design. District heating and smart grid integration can outperform traditional systems, lowering the life cycle cost of energy-efficient buildings while advancing decarbonising the built environment. Building lifecycle performance models demonstrate that resilient, network‑ready, low carbon buildings aligned with BREEAM or BREEAM v7 standards yield the greatest carbon footprint reduction, particularly when combined with renewable building materials and sustainable material specification.

The direction of travel is unambiguous: sustainable building design must integrate whole life carbon and embodied carbon metrics with sustainable design principles to secure finance and policy alignment. Developers and asset managers adopting net zero whole life carbon strategies, green construction practices and carbon neutral construction delivery will capture both investor confidence and regulatory advantage as sustainability becomes intrinsic to construction viability.

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