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 12 hours ago



Global construction is entering a transition where sustainability is no longer optional but essential. Hydrological scarcity and the warning of global “water bankruptcy from UN scientists” place environmental sustainability in construction at the forefront of decision-making. Urban resilience now depends on integrating whole life carbon assessment and life cycle cost analysis into planning. Communities suffering repeated landslides and droughts illustrate the price of ignoring eco-design for buildings and site-sensitive land use. Resilient cities require green infrastructure and sustainable building practices that address hazard intelligence from the earliest design stages.

Market leaders are embedding sustainable construction into core business strategy. Major redevelopment programmes, such as the Redmond technology campus, demonstrate that sustainable building design, low carbon design, and energy-efficient buildings can drive productivity while reducing the carbon footprint of construction. Housing innovators are applying circular economy principles and whole life carbon methodologies to prove that high-performance, socially responsive, and low carbon building models can scale economically.

Fragmented policy frameworks and variable power sources complicate the measurement of embodied carbon in materials and the calculation of lifecycle assessment outcomes. Divergent material supply chains heighten the risk of stranded assets as developers face inconsistent standards in embodied carbon profiles. BREEAM and BREEAM v7 certifications offer pathways to harmonise sustainable design verification, yet achieving net zero whole life carbon remains challenging without coordinated carbon footprint reduction strategies.

Industry guidance is converging on measurable action. Designers are prioritising fabric-first energy performance, specifying renewable building materials verified through environmental product declarations (EPDs), and planning for end-of-life reuse in construction. Circular economy in construction frameworks link resource efficiency with low embodied carbon materials, ensuring the environmental impact of construction is minimised across the asset’s lifecycle. Adopting life cycle thinking in construction embeds resilience, enabling carbon neutral construction that aligns with global goals for decarbonising the built environment. Sustainable material specification and circular construction strategies are becoming commercial imperatives rather than aspirations. Those codifying net zero carbon standards into procurement and contracts are shaping the benchmark others will soon follow.

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