SwtichMed in Israel

United Nations 2 years ago

The Israeli Sustainable Consumption and Production National Action Plan (SCP-NAP) was developed under the coordination of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Ministry of Economy under the EU-funded SwitchMed programme, with advisory services and technical support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The Plan is part of Israel’s efforts to achieve Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. The SCP-NAP (SDG12.1) addressed sustainable consumption, sustainable production and focuses on connecting the dots and was developed in Israel through nationally owned multistakeholder processes.  Israel spent more than a year developing its SCP National Action Plan, supported throughout this process by SwitchMed. Wide-ranging discussions took place as part of developing this plan, including, for example, eight professional cross-sectoral workshops with more than 300 participants from the government, business, and NGOs. These workshops, and others like them, created professional networks that inspired ideas and plans, and provided practical knowledge to implementing SCP throughout the country. Switch to Circular Economy: Under SwitchMed II, a short document "How Israel 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 State of Israel. They show how what began as awareness raising and in capacity building 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 Israel in its work to build a society where people and planet thrive and prosper together. 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.   SCP-NAP demonstration projects: The implementation of the plan is ongoing through selected projects and initiatives on Environmentally Efficient Restaurants and Dining Establishments, Green Label for Businesses, Sustainable Industrial Zones and Sustainable Public Procurement in collaboration with Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection.  A Green Restaurants Guidebook was developed to help restaurant owners and dining establishments to take their first steps in the world of environmental sustainability. Better environmental performance on the part of businesses, and restaurants attracts a new environmental public awareness and allows customers to take sustainability into account when making their choices. An online platform which guides SMEs in acquiring a Green Label  was set up by the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo. This online platform/app guides business owners in an 'Environmental-Streamlining Process' which they could do independently in terms of energy, water, cleaning products, inventory management and waste reduction as well as paper products. Once they have prepared their businesses they can opt to receive the Green Label for their institution. The Green label initiative can easily be replicated and adapted to other municipalities and other countries with a relative low cost. A Manual for the design of Sustainable Industrial Zones was developed. In the manual, planners and managers of industrial zones are presented with detailed specifications on energy, water, wastewater, waste, transportation and environmental management for the development of a sustainable industrial zone. The manual aims to assist industrial zones in improving their sustainability while encouraging the development and use of advanced technology that result in improved environmental performance, operational and economic efficiency, savings in money and resources, financial gain and competitive advantages. Sustainable public procurement (SPP): The Ministry of Environmental Protection assisted local authorities to incorporate sustainable public procurement tenders into their process and to build the infrastructure needed to expand the use of such tenders in the local government: mapping and identification of relevant and significant tenders, preparation of guiding documents in Hebrew for local authorities and trainings for local authorities. In 2016-2017, the Ministry of Environmental Protection conducted 10 workshops for procurement managers in local authorities. The unique procurement needs of the local government were discussed and priorities for the preparation of green product sheets were set. More than 50 local authorities from the different geographical districts (North, Haifa, Center, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and South district) took part. For detailed project information please download the factsheets of the demo projects.
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layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 29 minutes ago



Efforts to decarbonise the built environment are converging on measurable outcomes, with new projects signalling a shift from ambition to accountability in sustainable construction. The Urban Land Institute’s Net Zero Imperative has expanded to eight global cities, each committed to reducing embodied carbon and improving lifecycle assessment practices across the building sector. These participating regions will share strategies for calculating whole life carbon and adopt eco-design for buildings that align with both national and international sustainability frameworks. As the conversation transitions from operational efficiency to whole life carbon assessment, the construction industry is being challenged to quantify the environmental impact of construction across every phase.

In Essex, Octopus Energy’s new “Zero Bills” homes illustrate how sustainable building design can deliver both energy independence and affordability. The all-electric development, part of the Greener Homes Alliance, integrates renewable building materials, low carbon design, and high-performance insulation to minimise the carbon footprint of construction. By pairing rooftop solar with smart grid management, these energy-efficient buildings show how net zero carbon buildings can be scaled into mainstream housing models, redefining sustainable building practices across the UK’s residential market.

The UK government’s approval of the Tillbridge solar project marks a decisive extension of green infrastructure into the national energy mix. The 500MW scheme, projected to power 300,000 homes, represents a critical link between renewable generation and low carbon building. As electrification accelerates across the construction sector, projects like Tillbridge reinforce the transition toward carbon neutral construction and demonstrate the real-world benefits of integrating whole life carbon thinking into national infrastructure planning.

Policy and regulation remain pivotal to environmental sustainability in construction, and recent turbulence around the Planning and Infrastructure Bill has sparked concern across the sector. Environmental groups warn that deregulation could undermine resource efficiency in construction and slow progress towards sustainable urban development. The debate underscores how effective life cycle cost analysis, sustainable material specification, and environmental product declarations (EPDs) must remain core to policy reform if the UK is to safeguard both biodiversity and building lifecycle performance.

Reds10’s £20 million modular SEND school in South London reflects how circular economy principles are being embedded in public sector projects. Offsite manufacturing supports circular construction strategies by reducing waste, promoting end-of-life reuse in construction, and lowering embodied carbon in materials. This approach demonstrates that modern prefabrication, when informed by BREEAM certification and whole life carbon assessment, can offer genuine pathways to low-impact construction that balances cost, quality, and carbon footprint reduction.

The ESG landscape continues to mature as financial institutions link climate resilience with underwriting standards. Stakeholders are increasingly using lifecycle assessment and life cycle thinking in construction to de-risk investment in net zero whole life carbon assets. Between insurers rewarding low carbon construction materials and investors demanding transparent environmental impact data, the industry’s trajectory points to a more disciplined architecture of sustainability—one grounded in circular economy in construction, aligned with sustainable design, and measured by quantifiable carbon metrics rather than aspiration.

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