Join the Manifesto

THE MEDITERRANEAN MANIFESTO
FOR SUSTAINABLE AND CIRCULAR
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

The urgency

Time is running out to prevent irreversible damage from the triple planetary crisis: climate change, environmental pollution, and biodiversity loss. Social inequalities are widening, and we are far from achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The well-being of current and future generations and nature’s biodiversity are at stake. We urgently need a radical transformation of our economic systems and consumption and production patterns towards sustainable, circular, inclusive, and participatory socio-economic models.

The reality

Despite these dramatic challenges, no encouraging transformation is happening at the macro level: countries are failing to make adequate progress towards environmentally and socially sustainable economic systems. Yet at meso and micro levels, we can drive the transition towards sustainable and equitable business models. These are companies that understand that no enterprise exists in isolation — every economic activity forms part of a broader social reality, and both are embedded within the natural ecosystems that sustain us all. Such emerging businesses acknowledge their interdependence and embed environmental and social objectives into their business strategies.

Our commitment

As organisations supporting business creation and development, we are committed to promoting the transition towards justice-oriented circular economy models: businesses which create ecological value and safeguard the environment by addressing environmental challenges and reducing environmental impacts, while also being equitable and socially empowering. No company should be allowed to externalise its environmental and social costs. The transition from linear to circular economy is not optional — sustainable businesses must become the new normal. Business Support Organisations (BSOs) should also enhance their collaboration and networking to increase the coherence, effectiveness, and efficiency of service provision for sustainable entrepreneurs and companies.

OUR CALL TO ACTION

With this vision, we, Mediterranean BSOs, call on all Public, Private, and Non-Profit BSOs to work towards embracing the following decalogue of principles and actions:

01

Apply innovative approaches, methodologies, and tools to foster environmental and social value creation while minimising negative impacts of business models. This includes, among others, applying circular economy strategies, eco-innovation, eco-design, and promoting fair labour relations, participative governance, gender equity, and global environmental justice.

02

Advocate collaboratively for supportive policies and regulatory frameworks that enable sustainable business development and create a level playing field where sustainable businesses can thrive and unsustainable practices face appropriate consequences.

03

Ensure that the transition to sustainable business models is inclusive and equitable, providing targeted support to underrepresented entrepreneurs, including women, youth, and marginalised communities, so that no one is left behind in the circular economy transition.

04

Regularly measure and transparently report on the environmental and social impacts of business support initiatives through robust MEAL (monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning) systems.

05

Share and exchange knowledge, resources, and experiences on sustainable business development with like-minded organisations and make learning publicly accessible to accelerate collective progress.

06

Coordinate activities, launch joint initiatives, and promote networks at national and regional level with organisations that share these values to amplify our collective impact.

07

Collaboratively boost access to market and increase demand for sustainable products and services while challenging unsustainable consumption practices.

08

Engage financial actors and channel financial resources (grants, loans, equity) towards sustainable and circular businesses.

09

Raise awareness and knowledge widely concerning sustainable and circular business models.

10

Continuously build internal capacities and expertise to support sustainable and circular business development.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

World Circular Economy Forum 2022: find out how MedWaves is involved

The World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) is an annual event presenting the world’s leading circular economy solutions, bringing together business leaders, policymakers and experts from around the world. The WECF 2022 was held for the first time in Africa (Kigali, 6-8 December). This global forum brought together forward-looking thinkers and doers and presented the game-changers in the circular economy for the first time in Africa. 

Fostering Circular Blue Economy in the Mediterranean

On May 10, 2022, the SwitchMed programme, the Interreg MED Blue Growth Community and the Interreg MED BLUEfasma modular project co-organised a hybrid capitalisation event entitled “Fostering Circular Blue Economy in the Mediterranean” in Barcelona and online. The event was the occasion to launch a report on the integration of Circular Economy in the Blue Economy sectors in the Mediterranean.

Governance Traceability of Sustainable Value Chains in the Circular Economy Event

The Team of Specialists (ToS) on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Traceability of Sustainable Value Chains in the Circular Economy is an hybrid event held on the Palais des Nations, Geneva, on October 6th 2022. The event aims at contributing to better and more informed decisions for sustainable production and consumption, through ESG traceability approaches and systems for the exchange of data and information along global value chain, in priority industries for the circular transition.

Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award 2022

The 4th Edition of the Instanbul Environment Friendly City Award will take place soon; with the aim of recognizing the role and contributions of cities and local authorities in fulfilling the UNEP/MAP vision for a healthy Mediterranean Sea and Coast. Funded by the Government of Türkiye, the Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award was created in the framework of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD) to recognize efforts of local authorities in promoting sustainable development in Mediterranean coastal cities.

Workshops DEEP project Turquia

Diverse Circular economy workshops for public and private sectors were held in Ankara within the scope of Technical Assistance for Assessment of Turkey’s Potential on Transition to Circular Economy (DEEP Project) carried out by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change to encourage Turkey's transition to a circular economy and to strengthen Turkey's institutional and technical capacity in transition to a circular economy in line with the EU Circular Economy Model.

Euro-Med Weeks for Waste Reduction (EMWWR)

The Euro-Med Weeks for Waste Reduction is looking for ideas to reward in the field of Sustainable & Circular Textiles!

Are you a public administration entity from the southern Mediterranean planning to develop awareness-raising activities on textile consumption? Are you an NGO and you would like to develop a media campaign to encourage the reuse of clothes?  Do you have other ideas of actions to develop around sustainable and circular textiles? This call is for you!

Building resilience: the impact of the circular economy on global trade and supply chains

The article "Building resilience: the impact of the circular economy on global trade and supply chains" explore the state of art of Circular Economy on Global Trade and Global Supply Chains and the benefits it entails; particularly for Business Leaders and Policy-Makers.

Likewise, it provides key recommendations in how to improve Circular Economy Practices and on investing in transparency and traceability.

Find the Article here: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/articles/building-resilience

Regional policy measures

The set of "Regional Measures to Support the Development of Green and Circular Businesses and to Strengthen the Demand for more Sustainable Products" is now available as a publication. The measures, adopted adopted by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention (i.e. the 22 countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea) through Decision IG 25/18 on December 2021, during COP22 in Antalya; will  contribute to the transition towards a circular, green and blue economy in the region.

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