SwitchMed in Morocco

United Nations 2 years ago

The Moroccan Sustainable Consumption and Production National Action Plan (SCP-NAP) was developed under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development under the EU-funded SwitchMed Programme, with advisory services and technical support from the United Nations Environment Programme. The Plan is part of Morocco’s efforts to achieve Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. The SCPNAP(SDG12.1) addresses two priority sectors, the Sector Plan on Food and Agriculture and the Sector Plan on Building and Construction were developed in Morocco through nationally owned multi-stakeholder processes. The SCP-NAP of Morocco has been integrated in the Moroccan National Sustainable Development Strategy and implementation is currently on-going.   Switch to Circular Economy: Under SwitchMed II, a short document "How Morocco 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 Kingdom of Morocco. 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 Morocco in its work to build a society where people and planet thrive and prosper together. Morocco has developed a national strategy for sustainable development that has SCP at its core. By building on the foundations laid in its National Action Plan, the country hopes to expand its work on circular economic models, on waste reduction and recycling, and on building a its blue economy as a pillar of development. It is clear that sustainable consumption and production 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.
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layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 5 hours ago



The sustainable construction industry is entering a decisive phase of practical delivery driven by the convergence of clean technology, climate policy, and investment in circular economy systems. Essity’s £30 million recycled fibre facility in Northumberland demonstrates industrial-scale resource recovery, reinforcing the shift toward circular economy in construction and sustainable material specification grounded in measurable whole life carbon outcomes. State-backed financing of Cornish Metals’ tin mine exemplifies how environmental sustainability in construction aligns with domestic sourcing of critical minerals to control the embodied carbon in materials and reduce the carbon footprint of construction under local environmental standards.

Progress in energy storage reflects the sector’s push toward net zero whole life carbon strategies. England’s forthcoming commissioning of Europe’s largest vanadium flow battery enhances the reliability of solar-fed microgrids, advancing energy-efficient buildings and low carbon design capable of sustaining off-grid housing and industrial estates. Integrating long-duration storage into sustainable building design redefines infrastructure resilience and supports whole life carbon assessment approaches that address both embodied and operational emissions.

Carbon removal research, including olivine green-sand trials showing safety for marine ecosystems, highlights innovation in carbon neutral construction and life cycle thinking in construction. These experiments signal emerging eco-design for buildings that can offset embodied emissions and support low embodied carbon materials, enhancing environmental product declarations (EPDs) and lifecycle assessment accuracy.

The sector’s transition from incremental change to systemic reform marks a pivotal moment in green construction. Sustainable building practices are now embedded through resource efficiency in construction, renewable building materials adoption, and end-of-life reuse in construction. Developers are applying building lifecycle performance models to achieve net zero carbon buildings verified through frameworks such as BREEAM and BREEAM v7. This evolution defines sustainable building design as a measurable process underpinned by life cycle cost transparency and circular construction strategies.

By integrating low carbon construction materials, sustainable urban development principles, and green infrastructure, the built environment is moving toward genuine decarbonising of the built environment. Sustainable design and eco-friendly construction are no longer aspirational but quantifiable pathways to reducing the environmental impact of construction and achieving net zero carbon credentials at scale.

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