SwitchMed in Tunisia

United Nations 3 years ago

The Tunisian 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 Tunisia’s efforts to achieve Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. The SCPNAP (SDG12.1) addresses two priority sectors Tourism and agri-food and was developed in Tunisia through nationally owned multistakeholder processes. Switch to Circular Economy: Under SwitchMed II, a short document "How Tunisia 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 Tunisian 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 Tunisia in its work to build a society where people and planet thrive and prosper together Tunisia 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.
→ View Full Article

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 7 hours ago



The £41m funding boost for a Thames heat pipeline marks a significant shift in sustainable construction, moving decarbonising the built environment from policy ambition to practical green infrastructure. Capturing surplus industrial heat for up to 650,000 London homes strengthens the case for energy-efficient buildings, low carbon design and sustainable urban development at district scale. Rising household energy bills make heat networks an economic necessity as much as a net zero carbon priority.

A UN-backed taskforce has proposed measures to attract more capital into climate adaptation and resilience, reinforcing the need to treat environmental sustainability in construction as an investment issue rather than a compliance cost. Heat stress, drought, flooding and grid pressure now affect insurance, asset values, planning risk and construction programmes. Developers and lenders are being pushed towards whole life carbon, life cycle cost and building lifecycle performance as core measures of long-term value.

Materials remain a critical weakness. UK trials on bio-based, biodegradable and compostable products show that innovation in green building materials, renewable building materials and low carbon construction materials must be matched by recycling systems capable of processing them. The findings strengthen the case for lifecycle assessment, sustainable material specification, environmental product declarations (EPDs), resource efficiency in construction and clear end-of-life reuse in construction. Without stronger circular economy infrastructure, embodied carbon in materials and the wider carbon footprint of construction will remain difficult to reduce.

Industrialised construction faces the same systems challenge. Factories, standards, logistics, procurement and dependable demand must mature together if modern methods are to support low-impact construction, eco-friendly construction and carbon neutral construction at scale. Circular economy in construction depends on circular construction strategies, not isolated green building products.

The direction for sustainable building design is clear: net zero carbon buildings require whole life carbon assessment, net zero whole life carbon targets and credible evidence on embodied carbon. BREEAM, BREEAM v7, eco-design for buildings and sustainable architecture are becoming more important as clients seek measurable carbon footprint reduction across design, construction, operation and reuse. Sustainable design is no longer defined by individual products, but by integrated networks that reduce the environmental impact of construction across the full building lifecycle.

Show More

camera_altFeatured Instagram Posts:

Get your opinion heard:

Whole Life Carbon is a platform for the entire construction industry—both in the UK and internationally. We track the latest publications, debates, and events related to whole life guidance and sustainability. If you have any enquiries or opinions to share, please do get in touch.

Let's chat!
Avatar

WLC Assistant

Ask me about sustainability

Hi! I'm your Whole Life Carbon assistant. I can help you learn about sustainability, carbon assessment, and navigate our resources. How can I help you today?