العربية
A recycling world
is one in which the majority of waste materials are collected, processed, and transformed into new products, reducing the need for virgin resources and helping to protect the environment.
The love of a greener planet
world with more vegetation and less pollution or destruction of natural habitats
The duty for all towards a greener planet
we have a role to play in promoting sustainable practices, investing in clean energy, and protecting the environment
Choosing to recycle
choosing to recycle is an important step in creating a greener planet.
Wonders of the world at our fingertips
with the advancement of technology, the wonders of the world are now at our fingertips.
The grass is greener on the other side
we believe that things will be better or more desirable in the future or somewhere else, rather than where they are currently
Beautiful canopy
canopies play an important role in maintaining the ecological balance of the environment, by providing shade, protecting the soil and water resources, and helping to regulate the climate

About Palestinian Center for Cleaner Production

The prosperity of Palestine is inseparably connected to the performance of the socio-economic and the preservation of its environment and natural resources. The current adverse economic performance is an extension of the effects caused by Israeli government measures, the shortfall in foreign investments, and the global recorded inflation. The economic situation in turn adversely impacts the social fabric. Such a situation has further restricted proper access to needed resources and needed economic recovery. In addition, it has added pressure on the different national business sectors to reduce costs while maintaining their quality and competitiveness in the already heavily restricted export market. Power supply interruptions and dependency on expensive and carbon-intensive fossil fuels for energy, instigating high energy prices, are among the reason’s energy efficiency and a switch to renewable sources are top priorities for the national industries. In common with the energy situation, water also continues to face distribution problems in Palestine. As accessibility to national water resources is still restricted by the Israeli occupation, water will remain a scarce resource both for the industry and for the community.

Apart from the challenges in water and energy, Palestinian industries must also cope with high transportation costs and impeding import/export restrictions, which coupled with increasing prices for raw materials and the aforementioned socio-economic challenges, underpin the necessity for resource efficiency. Thus, a more resource-efficient industry would improve businesses’ economic situation and contribute to ensuring resource availability to other sectors.

In that respect, the Center for Cleaner Production (PCCP) functions as a platform for developing the knowledge and the technical capacities of the Palestinian industrial sector on the circular economy (CE) and its sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and associated Resource Efficiency in Cleaner Production (RECP) tools. Both SCP and RECP concepts have become effective pathways for sustainable development worldwide, and their specific tools have been identified either as the booster of the CE or as supporters of the achievement of sustainable development goals. SDG 12 recognizes production and consumption habits at the root of the planet’s sustainability problems and places them at the center of the sustainable development agenda. By implementing both concepts, 12 overall development plans will be achieved, including reducing future economic, environmental, and social costs, strengthening economic competitiveness, and reducing poverty.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) suggested the establishment of a cleaner production center to collaborate directly with the global network of cleaner production centers; the RECPnet. The primary objective of RECPnet is to contribute to the effective development, application, adaptation, scaling up, and mainstreaming of SCP and RECP concepts, methods, policies, practices, and technologies in developing and transition economies. It also aims to facilitate North-South, South-South, and South-North-South collaboration, including the transfer of RECP-relevant knowledge, experiences, and technologies.

The PCCP and activating its role nationally and globally enable capturing and promoting best practices of RECP information and knowledge to use for the benefit of national industrial and business enterprises. Another important added value of the CPS as part of the global network is its potential role in sharing and transferring knowledge and innovations, building proper capacities, raising awareness and advocacy, and quality assurance and branding.

Action Plan

In the framework of the aforementioned information, the action plan focuses on building on the experiences gained to implement specific actions to achieve the following:

Promoting Circular Economy and RECP into the academic and vocational curriculum

Promoting Circular Economy and RECP into the academic and vocational curriculum through joint coordination with various institutions.

Develop policy tools and economic instruments

Develop policy tools and economic instruments with various sectors that encourage industries to adopt SCP and RECP concepts and tools.

Implement training and on-job training for potential service providers

Implement training and on-job training for potential service providers (SPs) based on capacities achieved in implementing TEST II.

Implement a full TEST cycle

Implement a full TEST cycle on four potential demonstration companies.

A Background on Implementing SwithMed in Palestine

In 2013, the European Union launched a program titled SwithchMed, which aimed to support sustainable consumption and production practices for a circular economy in the Mediterranean. The program was implemented collaboratively by the UNIDO, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Economy Division, the MedWaves, and the United Nations Environment Program / Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) regional activity center for Sustainable Consumption and Production (formerly known as SCP/RAC). The consorted collaboration in launching and implementing the program was directed to speed up the shift to sustainable consumption and production patterns in the Southern Mediterranean, notably through the promotion of circular economy approaches in the region and achieving productive, circular sharing economies among countries in the region by changing the way goods and services are consumed and produced so that human development is decoupled from environmental degradation.

In the framework of SwitchMed, UNIDO has facilitated the implementation of the project’s first phase which was titled: “Transfer of Environmentally Safe Technology (TEST II) and was implemented by the UNIDO and facilitated by a Palestinian partner during 2015-2017, Sustainable Consumption and Production tools related to the circular economy were deployed and used in ten potential Palestinian food and beverages industries. During implementation, the capacities of the ten industries were strengthened in issues related to Resource Efficiency in Cleaner Production, which includes implementing tools such as Energy Management Systems EnMS), Environmental Management Systems (EMS), Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA), and Related Industrial Codes and Standards. Building on the achievements, a roadmap for scaling-up TEST in Palestine was prepared with endorsement from governmental focal points; the Ministry of National Economy and the Environmental Quality Authority, and the Palestinian Federation of Industries (PFI). The establishment of the PCCP was one essential milestone for complementing the aims of the SwitchMed program in Palestine (Attached certificate).

Project Main Tasks

The primary objective of RECPnet is to contribute to the effective development, application, adaptation, scaling up, and mainstreaming of SCP and RECP concepts, methods, policies, practices, and technologies in developing and transition economies.

Convening the PCCP Advisory Board

Convening the PCCP Advisory Board: It acts as a steering committee to ensure the proper guidance and advice, ensure the delivery of the project outputs, and the achievements of the project outcomes. Members of the steering committee are:

  1. Professor Imad Khatib as Chairman
  2. UNIDO’s national focal points, including representatives of the Ministry of National Economy and Environment Quality Authority,
  3. Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority,
  4. Palestinian Federation of Industry,
  5. Massader for Natural Resources & Infrastructure Development,
  6. Three renowned experts in Energy Management, Environmental Management, and Circular Economy.
Preparing tailored on-job training modules

which will be done in collaboration with the UNIDO TEST section in Vienna. Based on the achievements of implementing TEST II in Palestine, the training modules include:

  1. The Client Company-Business Potential: Designing of the project team, planning of the project, reviewing existing business strategy and policy statements, stakeholders mapping.
  2. The Management Pyramid of Sustainable Consumption and Production (Plan-Do-Check-Act): Including its levels: stakeholders, vision and goals, strategy, management systems, production, and products, and proper tools for level, including CSR[1], eco-innovation, EMS[2] and EnMS[3], MFCA[4], M&T[5], CPA[6], and LCA[7] and Eco-Design.
  3. Implementing an “Initial Assessment” on the company-business site, including a walk-through for initial screening, and preparing an Initial Assessment Report (IAR).
  4. Implementing MFCA on the company’s activities to identify total costs of pollution and priority flow within the boundaries. Includes identifying the flow within the financial information system that is usually overseen by top management.
  5. Generating options, where trainees will assess how causes of material and energy inefficiencies responsible for economic losses and pollution generation be addressed.
  6. Information System on Flow and Resources Efficiency will facilitate monitoring overall enterprise performance, measure performance of key consumers, and allow verification of improvements in performance and savings.
  7. On-job implementation of the “act and sustain”, including integrating experience gained into business strategies and operations for continuous improvements.

[1] Corporate Social Responsibility

[2] Environmental Management System

[3] Energy Management System

[4] Material Flow Cost Accounting

[5] Monitoring and Targeting

[6] Cleaner Production Assessment

[7] Life Cycle Assessment

The modules will be implanted by experts over a time frame

The modules will be implanted by experts over a time frame of three months, during which on-job activities will be implemented in pilot companies.

Piloting TEST in four potential industries

Piloting TEST in four potential industries that will be identified in close collaboration with UNIDO’s focal points; MNE and EQA, and with facilitation from PFI. The demonstration companies (industries) should fulfill the project terms of reference (ToR). Potential industries are:

  • food and beverages,
  • pharmaceuticals,
  • Metal and Engineering, and Plastic industries.

Following the identification of the industries, an initial assessment will be done to choose the four demonstration companies.

Establishing technical laboratories which will include portable energy and environment measuring devices, data management, proper hardware, and software. The Lab will be used for conducting environmental and energy auditing within business premises, analyzing data collected, and building scenarios. In addition, the lab will be used in the training of trainees.

Former activities of UNIDO SwitchMed Project Implemented in Palestine

The project builds on the achievements of applying TEST during 2015-2017 on ten demonstration companies. Substantial environmental and financial Impacts were recorded in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Financial and Environmental impacts of applying TEST in 10 demonstration companies[1]

Company Name (Food & Beverage Sector)

Investment

(in €)

Savings

(in €)

Avg. PbP*

(Yr.)

Water

(%/Yr.)

Material

(%/Yr.)

Energy

(%/Yr.)
Al-Jebrini Dairy & Food 445,500.0 378,400.0 1.2 35 – 10
Al-Hijaz Chocolate 73,400.0 92,370.0 0.8 45 3 27
Al-Qasrawi Food 447,000.0 1,190,580.0 0.4 – 1.5 1.8
Al-Zara’oun Dates 42,000.0 42,200.0 1 – 1.5 25
Haifa Food 47,500.0 43,600.0 1.1 33 8 26
Nakheel Palestine 39,600.0 27,855.0 1.4 – – 22
Old City Coffee 1,550.0 4,560.0 0.3 – – 3
Pal-Gardens Dates 462,000.0 125,400.0 3.7 – 2 24
Siniora Food 72,370.0 104,696.0 0.7 27 1.8 16.4
Sinokrot Chocolate 891,750.0 399,200.0 2.2 – 1 22

* Payback Period

Total savings in water has reached 244,805 cm/year, with associated savings in energy of 5.3 GWh/Yr., which is a considerable amount. Environmental impacts were also achieved with a reduction of 4,197 tons/Yr. in carbon dioxide (CO2), and a reduction of solid waste that was calculated at 261 tons/Yr.).

Applying TEST in the ten companies did not only lead to better environmental performance, but also enabled businesses to operate more competitively while at the same time saving money, and also provided businesses with the scope to invest and grow sustainably. Moreover, production efficiency also contributes to saving valuable resources, such as energy, water, and raw materials for the national economy.

Impacts on promoting eco-innovation and entrepreneurship were important outcomes of the project. Training and on-Job training with the implementation of TEST led to the identification of 92 resource efficiency measures trainees in the 10 demonstration companies. 75% of the total measures identified were approved by management in the companies and included in their action plan for implementation. While substantial savings were identified, the majority of the identified measures had a payback period (PbP) of less than half a year (50%), showing the high profitability of applying resource efficiency tools and measures.

Important associated impacts are:

  1. Building awareness among consumers, investors, government departments, and the other relevant stakeholders on the effects and benefits of adopting resource efficiency in clean production and the circular economy.
  2. Effectively transforming national industries and businesses by switching to a production that uses fewer resources and reduces pollution.
  3. Building technical capacities among service providers, thus opening employment opportunities for graduate engineers and technicians. In addition, the collaboration with UNIDO and Palestinian universities extends to developing academic curricula and programs in fields related to the circular economy, and resource efficiency.
  4. Promoting energy efficiency and cleaner production issues as the major priorities for innovators and entrepreneurs. PCCP will use the B-CITE centers in Jerusalem, Abu Dies, and Ramallah to communicate the knowledge gained with the innovation and entrepreneurship stakeholders.
  5. Developing regional and international cooperation using the global RECPnet platform, thus building linkages with international institutions for financing, technology transfer, and technical support for the national industrial sector and businesses.
  6. Transferring safe and state-of-the-art technologies and facilitating proper technical support for energy efficiency and cleaner technologies.
  7. Developing the research and development (R&D) and knowledge generation and management in fields related to the circular economy, thus laying the proper foundation for transitioning the national economy into a knowledge- and innovation-based economy.
  8. Recommending resource efficiency and cleaner production policy to improve industrial and business accounting systems, and for managing material, energy, and water losses. Thus, facilitating companies’ adoption of environmental and energy management standards and also enabling them to have continuous improvements in resource efficiency as a periodic routine practice.

[1] https://switchmed.eu/?s=Palestine&pt=resource

PCCP Scope of Work

  1. Training section that will coordinate and implement all relevant training and educational activities among trainers, trainees, and higher education institutions. The Training section will be supported in kind by the university academic staff.
  2. Service provider section that will be responsible for the implementation of TEST activities, providing proper consultations on resource efficiency in production, providing services in energy flow management including energy audit, and providing services in environmental management including environmental impact assessment, and other related activities.
  3. Technical facilities that ensure the proper technical means used in conducting TEST and other on-site technical assessments and measurements (short- and long-term).
  4. Eco-Innovation will be directly linked with the university B-CITE and will work collaboratively with national and international innovation centers.

Al-Quds University