Switch-Asia News - UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production gGmbH

August Edition of SWITCH-Asia Newsletter published

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:21:00 +0200

To read all, please download the newsletter.

UN launches high-level panel on sustainability

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 09:54:00 +0200

Finland’s President Tarja Halonen and South African President Jacob Zuma chair the 21-member High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability. It brings together representatives from government, the private sector and civil society in countries rich and poor.

Mr. Ban stressed, that it is essential to promote low-carbon growth and enhance resilience to climate change’s impacts, as well as to tackle the intertwined challenges posed by poverty, hunger, water and energy security. The Secretary-General said that he expects the new Panel to come up with practical solutions to address the institutional and financial arrangements necessary to put a new scheme into practice.

The new body is expected to deliver its final report by the end of next year, ahead of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development scheduled for 2012, as well as annual conferences of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

New decision making tool encourages pro biodiversity choices

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:10:00 +0200

The information of IBAT could feed into into risk assessment reports and national or regional development strategies. The IBA tool is based on a family of web-enabled systems synthesise and interpret the most significant biodiversity information available for key decision-makers in the project planning stages when alternatives and changes are most economically viable.

An IBAT is also availabe for business. For more information please visit: https://www.ibatforbusiness.org/

UN declares clean Water a Human Right

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:01:00 +0200

The 192-member Assembly also called on United Nations Member States and international organizations to offer funding, technology and other resources to help poorer countries scale up their efforts to provide clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for everyone.

The decision has no legal standing, and is not part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But the Assembly urged member states to offer funding, technology and other resources to increase access to clean water and sanitation for everyone. The passage of the resolution provides moral and symbolic force to the provision in the policies of individual countries and the United Nations.

France identifies nine strategic challenges for achieving "a green and fair economy"

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:57:00 +0200

To boost sustainable consumption and production, the government wants to act in parallel with consumers and producers in sharing responsibility for changing both purchasing behaviour and manufacturing practices. The Government wants to integrate sustainability into the whole life-cycle of products and services and at the same time develop environmental labelling for everyday consumer products to direct consumers towards more sustainable choices, and supporting companies in their eco-design efforts.

The strategy pledges support for the green economy and clean technologies, particularly by drawing up an industrial policy for sectors like renewable energy, green chemistry, recycling and carbon capture and storage. The third major focus is on more environmentally and socially sustainable agricultural production. This focus will contribute to public health and help preserve soil fertility and water quality.

Young Urban Leaders discuss development and sustainability at the Shanghai 2010 World Expo

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:48:00 +0200

From July 26 to 28, participants of the dialogue will tackle issues of eco-friendly mobility, building sustainable cities, and developing urban policies towards better quality of life in urban cities. This 2nd Asia-Europe Young Urban Leaders Dialogue (AEYULD) is being jointly organised by ASEF, Madrid Global, the Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and Casa Asia.

SWITCH-Asia project on Sustainable Interior Design kicks off in Beijing

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:42:00 +0200

This includes consumers choosing safe, healthy and environmentally friendly decoration products and appliances. Additionally, the project aims to strengthen SMEs applying healthy and environmentally friendly working materials and procedures.

At the kick-off meeting project partners from the China Standard Certification Center, the China National Institute of Standardization, the Science and Technology Promotion Center of the Ministry of Housing and Rural-urban Development of China, the Dutch NGO IVAM and the UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Center on Sustainable Consumption and Production discussed the action plan for the project first year of implementation.

Virginie De Ruyt of the Delegation of the European Union to China, reaffirmed the significance of the project. She hopes that this project can successfully convince industry and policy makers to green the interior design sector in China.

Page on APRSCP activities now online

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:49:00 +0200

The objective of the SWITCH-Asia participation in the 9th APRSCP was to develop a closer cooperation with stakeholders in the APRSCP network, to exchange best practices, and to coordinate future events for demonstration and replication of SCP; hereby enhancing the overall impact of the SWITCH-Asia programme.

EU Commissioner for Energy visits “Train the Trainers” in Shanghai

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:02:00 +0200

Tongji University Project Coordinator Professor Zhang introduced the construction techniques being taught as well as the materials and tools being used. Commissioner Oettinger engaged in a conversation with present attendees, further enquiring about their experience with energy-saving architecture and the added-value gained through the EU-funded Project “Train the trainers”. The SWITCH-Asia Project “Train the trainers” is implemented by the European Chamber in partnership with Tongji University School of Materials Science and Engineering and Swedish Institute IVL.

The successful visit contributed to further strengthen ties between European and Chinese stakeholders on such key issues as energy efficiency and sustainable growth.

Günther Oettinger was accompanied by members of the European Commission in Brussels and of the European Delegation to China in Beijing. He was warmly welcomed by a delegation of Tongji University, headed by President Pei Gang and of the European Chamber in Shanghai, led by Chairman Piter de Jong.

The EU Commissioner for Energy also visited the EXPO and used the opportunity to call on the SWITCH-Asia project. At the EXPO Günther Oettinger delivered a keynote speech on ‘The EU and China: working together for better cities and for better lives' referring to the overall theme of the World Expo 2010. The event GREEN ENERGY FOR SMART CITIES is one of the European Commission's flagship events at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. Prominent experts from the EU and China will be presenting their achievements and energy projects. The aims of the event include strengthening cooperation between the EU and China, sharing views on urban development, discussing best practices, exchanging information, and networking at political and administrative levels to achieve better and faster results on a global scale.

For more information on the "Train the trainers" project please visit: www. train-the-trainers.net

EU Delegation to China and Mongolia hosts workshop for SWITCH-Asia projects

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 06:25:00 +0200

To communicate project results, it is important to show the impact achieved. Therefore another session of the workshop focused on impact monitoring. The EU-delegation’s workshop aimed to increase capacity for project to assess the environmental impacts as well as to understand the link to the overall impact of the programme. Frans Verspeek, team leader of the SWITCH-Asia Network facility, pointed out that it is important to not only to focus on one project only but to consider how single projects contribute to the overall aim of the programme.

The fourth SWITCH-Asia news brief is now out!

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:57:00 +0200

The news brief can be downloaded here (3.5MB).

Sino-Dutch CSR Platform is now online

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 09:41:00 +0200

According to the answers of the companies, the CSR Platform developers identify trends for CSR in China. The 2010 CSR Survey Results state that the 3 main CSR issues that companies are dealing with are ‘Health & Safety’, ‘Energy Consumption’, and ‘Environmental Protection’. Mostly SMEs want to get involved in CSR; often large companies are already involved in CSR. The survey also showed that water consumption and climate change are two important issues in Shanghai and Beijing whereas corruption is a big concern in Shanghai and the Pearl River Delta (PRD. More than 40 responding companies want to be involved in the CSR Partnership Programme. The Chinese version of the website will be launched on July 22st.

This website has been developed by the Benelux Chamber of Commerce and was supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Den Hague.

For more information please visit http://csrproject.bencham.org.

Strong interest in SWITCH-Asia Event: “Engaging Business in SCP”

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 07:40:00 +0200

Replication is an important step for SCP, but also for the development work and projects whereas without this mechanism only small entities change. In other words, at a large scale, without replication the situation stays the same. To illustrate project practices, 6 SWITCH-Asia projects presented their activities and approaches.

For more information on the replication please click here.

Initial results of replication studies are now online

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 12:57:00 +0200

Replication can be achieved through multi-stakeholder approaches, for example by building partnerships with business service providers and actors along the supply chains. Involving policy-makers and developing enabling policy environments for SCP are equally important. In this context, the SWITCH-Asia Network Facility analysed the projects that were awarded funding in 2008, and found that a number of key activities that seem to be particularly important for the replication of SCP.

Download the reports:

Engaging the supply chain to promote SCP

Engaging service providers to promote SCP

EU Commissioner for Environment calls for tax reform to cut environmental impact

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:34:00 +0200

"If we really want to change the way we use resources, altering price signals through taxation is among the most efficient and effective approaches," said Mr Potočnik. "It will require effective dialogue with our member states… in areas such as tax reform." The panel says some efficiency gains are possible to reduce agriculture's impacts. But a 50% increase in world population will cancel out these gains. "A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products," it concludes. Lead report author Edgar Hertwich says new patterns of production and consumption need to be adopted by businesses and consumers to decouple growth from resource use. The European Commission is preparing a review of its thematic strategy on resource use. A consultancy report is due to be issued by August.

EU Commissioner for Development visits Clean Batik Initiative

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:19:00 +0200

Before his visit to the SWITCH-Asia project the Commissioner attended the second Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Development Conference and he participated in high level discussions on EU-Indonesia cooperation. During his visit he reaffirmed the European-Asian cooperation: "EU and Asia have to join forces to reach the Millennium Development Goals and trigger opportunities for growth and jobs in the region. Too many people still live in poverty, child and maternal mortality is too high, and climate change threatens to reduce living standard. Our actions must be a catalyst for change".

Director General Richelle pays a visit to “Train the Trainers”

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:09:00 +0200

During his one-day visit in Shanghai, Director General Richelle paid a visit to the campus of Tongji University that partners up with the European Chamber in Shanghai to conduct trainings on energy efficient buildings among Chinese construction SMEs.Director Generale Richelle was received by Tongji University Vice President Chen, Dean Yang from the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering and Professor Zhang, Tongji University Coordinator for "Train the trainers" as well as Dr. Kraft, General Manager of the European Chamber in Shanghai, Silvia Sartori and Zhao Ke, respectively Project Leader and Project Coordinator of "Train the trainers".

OECD ministers support green growth

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:06:00 +0200

Environmentalist has criticized in the past that the concept of green growth had not been fully taken into account in the EU's 2020 strategy.

Last week, Ministers from the world's most developed economies welcomed an interim report on green growth. In conclusions adopted on Friday, the ministers welcomed green growth as a "paradigm" gaining support across countries. Green growth must be a "transforming dynamic" for both production processes and consumer behaviour, according to the report's executive summary. Market-based instruments and old-fashioned regulations are needed to achieve it. There is "considerable scope" for more green taxes. Innovation is critical.

But green growth must not lead to protectionism, the report warns. Authors also say its long-term impact on net employment is uncertain, despite an anticipated positive short-term influence. The findings will be followed by a final report next year, which will advise governments on how to achieve greener growth most efficiently.

Indian’s business sector discuss action on climate change

Mon, 31 May 2010 11:06:00 +0200

In a developing country like India, climate change could represent an additional stress on ecological and socioeconomic systems that are already facing tremendous pressures due to rapid urbanization, industrialization and economic development. With its huge and growing population and an economy that is closely tied to its natural resource base, India is considerably vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Indian industry has played a leading role in fuelling India’s economic development resulting in a growth rate of 7-8%.

For more information visit: www.sustainabledevelopment.in

Green Jobs: linking climate change and the world of work

Wed, 26 May 2010 14:00:00 +0200

The training course targets staff of Employers' Organisations and Trade Unions, officials of Ministries of Labour. It is also suitable for officials from other Ministries, such as Environment, Planning or Finance. Representatives of national and international development agencies will find the course useful to get a good understanding of ILO's 'Green Jobs' concept.
For more information click on greenjobs.itcilo.org