The World Environment Center and U.S. Department of State Launch Cleaner Production Partnership in Morocco

This communication is available en francais here.

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) March 7, 2011 - The World Environment Center (WEC) has launched an innovative project to expand the sustainable development commitments of Moroccan businesses by reducing energy and water consumption, minimizing waste and raw material usage and lowering operating costs. WEC is partnering with the Moroccan Cleaner Production Center (CMPP) and the country’s leading national business association, the Confédération Générale des Entreprises du Maroc (CGEM), to implement the local activities and provide advanced technical expertise for the project. The partnership is funded by the United States Department of State through its “Cleaner Production Private Sector Partnerships” program. WEC has created a one-page summary of the project for further information.This is the third partnership of its kind, spanning six countries, between the U.S. Department of State and WEC. 

“The U.S. Department of State is committed to helping small and medium-sized enterprises ‘green’ their production processes by implementing measures that decrease resource use and waste, while reducing costs,” said Rob Wing, Chief of the Environment and Trade Division in the State Department’s Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Science. “The World Environment Center remains our trusted partner in this and has the connectivity on the ground to deliver results for these companies that preserve natural resources and create cost-savings.”

The specific objectives of the partnership are to enhance sustainable development practices in local companies to reduce water and energy consumption, minimize waste and raw material use, and maximize operational savings. Through the WEC partnership with the Moroccan food-canning processor association, FICOPAM (Fédération des Industries de la Conserve des Produits Agricoles), WEC’s technical team will train selected small and medium-sized local member companies specifically in:

-          conservation of water and energy; -          reducing waste, raw material use and emissions; -          establishing environmental management systems; and -          accessing funding and loans to finance the adoption of advanced technologies.

This training, and the follow-up and monitoring process for the participating companies, will allow these businesses to minimize environmental impact while improving their productivity and competitiveness. The duration of the project’s expected technical assistance to companies is 16 months.

Dr. Terry F. Yosie, WEC’s President and CEO, commended the project for its combination of sustainable development goals with business-focused improvements. “Businesses’ incentives to find greater efficiencies in their operations and to minimize the use of natural resources and the generation of waste create an economically virtuous circle,” he stated. “Leadership in sustainable development is found through practical business solutions that improve the daily lives of citizens in communities around the world.”

 

About the World Environment Center
The World Environment Center, headquartered in Washington, D.C. with offices and operations in many emerging and developed markets, is unique in its direct application of sustainable development strategies and practices to the business operations of its members. WEC creates sustainable business solutions through individual projects in emerging markets; convenes leadership roundtables to shape strategic thinking across a range of sustainability topics; and honors industry excellence through its annual awarding of the Gold Medal for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development. WEC conducts no advocacy activities. For more information, please go to www.wec.org. 

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