Following the resource efficiency and cleaner production (RECP) coaching sessions held in Armenia as a part of the EU4Environment Project in summer 2020, a series of initial site visits were conducted across various manufacturing SMEs. The coaching took place as a national capacity building exercise for the Armenian national experts. Its main purpose is to serve as a preparatory work for the assessment of the enterprises wishing to increase their environmental performance and improve their production process. The Project plans to extend the RECP practices and capacity amongst national experts and businesses representatives by using national business cases and international examples to mainstream circular economy principles in selected industries.
Examples of companies in which site visits were conducted include a fisheries company (where wastewater is purified, the resulting sludge is dried, and then applied as a fertilizer), a paper recycling business (where high quality products are produced from paper waste), and a polyethylene bags and containers manufacturer which has to face the challenge of the forthcoming national plastic ban. These enterprises have already started focusing their production processes on environmentally friendly options. Still, being green-minded, they are open to suggestions to further improve their production.
In this sense, investing in resource efficiency is beneficial both in terms prevention of material loss, and improving the environmental performance.