For 2018-2020 the European Union will intensify its policy dialogue with Asian countries on SCP by means of a new policy advocacy component implemented jointly by the European Commission and the UN-Environment as well as a Sustainable Consumption and Production Facility, implemented by a consortium of development experts (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit - GiZ, T he Institute for Global Environmental Strategies - IGES and Adelphi). One additional lot of about 11 grant projects is currently being contracted, following the 2016 call for proposals. Newly selected proposals focus on the food industry, sustainable building and construction, and the textile and leather industry across nine Asian countries.

SWITCH-Asia projects operate in a wide range of sectors, the most represented being textiles and leather, building and construction, electrical equipment and machinery as well as food and beverages. Within their respective industries, projects have addressed different stages of the value chain, from raw material to end-of-life, through production, supply, retail and consumption phases.

Implemented by consortia of European and Asian partners, including NGOs, industry associations, research and academic institutions, SWITCH-Asia projects promote SCP practices that generate positive environmental, social or economic impacts with tangible benefits related to improved livelihoods, climate change and cross-cutting issues such as gender equality. Examples of SCP practices promoted by SWITCH-Asia projects include eco-design, product design enhancements, upgrade to cleaner and more efficient production technologies, adoption of environmental management systems, industrial symbiosis (an association of two or more industrial facilities or companies in which the wastes or byproducts of one become the raw materials for another), eco-labels and certifications, marketing and awareness-raising about eco-products.

These interventions increased the resilience and domestic competitiveness of the participating SMEs, improved working and living conditions, promoted women’s economic empowerment and created new jobs. The result is a contribution to poverty reduction in Asia, which despite recent economic progress remains home to over 320 million of the world’s poorest people.

In the course of their activities, projects develop or promote innovative, cost-effective solutions and approaches.

In India, for instance, the foundry sector, known to be among the most polluting and energy-intensive in the country, has taken to reusing foundry-generated slag and turning it into paving slabs, thanks to support provided by the ‘MSME Clusters’ project.

This experience, which reduced production costs for paving slab producers by 5 %, led the Indian government department of science and technology, in 2015, to launch a start-up scheme for companies that make paving blocks from foundry slag. The project aims to create 40 new businesses by September 2020 using this technology, generating 400-450 jobs.

Exposure Visit to Paver Block Manufacturing_Source MSME Project - © SWITCH-Asia

Similarly, in Mongolia, the ‘Greener Construction’ project tested and piloted the production of fly ash-based construction blocks. In Nepal, the ‘Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln’ project prompted the adoption of new production technology and the creation of over 1 500 new jobs, as well as substantially reducing air pollution.

Collection of ash at the Power plant for the pilot production - © SWITCH-Asia

Amid booming urbanisation in these countries and growing demand by the construction sector, SMEs are taking up alternative solutions reduce both production costs and adverse environmental impact while decreasing dependence on imports and strengthening domestic industry.

Pilot production of AAC block- © SWITCH-Asia

To date, up to around 30 000 Asian SMEs have benefitted from SWITCH-Asia grant projects. As SMEs are the backbone of developing economies and the programme’s target countries are home to about a third of the world’s population, SWITCH-Asia’s work to reduce the environmental impact of growth remains critically relevant.

For more information, please visit www.switch-asia.eu

By SWITCH-Asia Networking facility