Berytech, under the EU-funded Eni CBC MED Program, organized a workshop and open day to bring together experts, SMEs, and MSMEs to discuss the importance of the Cluster4Green model and circular economy practices. The event took place on December 7^th, 2022, at BDD and attracted around 20 people from academia, experts, SMEs, and start-ups, working together on integrating and promoting circularity.

The event started with a Panel discussion moderated by Environmental Sustainability Consultant Mr. John Rbeiz. The panel included Ms. Maya Karkour, Partner & Co-founder of EcoConsulting, Mr. Jan de Coo, Sustainable Developer and Founder of Wave Bikes, and Mr. Wael Homeidan, representing IndyACT, to discuss the transition of businesses into circularity.

“Circularity is becoming crucial to recover materials as the world is running out of natural resources. In  Lebanon, we also heavily rely on costly  imports; adopting circular economy principles in industries & enterprises would allow for higher self-sufficiency, with less pollution, where waste would be repurposed to higher value materials.” Maya Karkour, Partner & Co-founder of EcoConsulting

The main topics tackled during the panel were as below.

• How to transition SMEs/MSMEs to a Circular Economy Model
• What would accelerate the growth of the business while transitioning to Circular Economy models, and what are the challenges
• What can be the role of the different stakeholders (with a focus on academia and government) in supporting the promotion of circularity

The panel discussed the challenges faced while transitioning to Circular Economy and how policy and regulations can accelerate this phase. They identified the different players impacting the circularity promotion and defined their contribution's importance.

A workshop led and moderated by Ms. Maya Karkour followed the discussion. The main objective of this workshop was to highlight the importance of transitioning from a traditional business model to a circular business model. A Lebanon-based success story demonstrated the best practices they used to shift to a circular economy business model. Furthermore, attendees were divided into four working groups and invited to draft a 2023 road map of circularity-oriented steps and activities they can implement in Lebanon.

CLUSTER4GREEN project aims to promote the economic and social development of the Mediterranean Area and eco-friendly business and SMEs development and strengthen euro-Mediterranean networks through a series of open days and workshops to define and promote synergies between MSMEs, policymakers, investors, and other stakeholders.