After renewable energies and, more recently, green hydrogen, another major component of the National Sustainable Development Strategy (SNDD) will also have its own national roadmap. This is the circular economy, whose many virtues Morocco has yet to fully appreciate.
It was with the aim of laying the first milestones on the road to these benefits that the Coalition for Waste Valorization (Covad) organized, in partnership with the Ministries of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Industry and Trade, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), a plenary conference on Tuesday December 09, 2024 in Bouznika. The conference focused on the “ transition to a circular, low-carbon economy ”, and all stakeholders in the waste-to-energy value chain were present to share their experiences and make their contribution to the edifice under construction.
“ The linear economy is over. No more make and throw. It is time to reduce, reuse and recycle. We need to take advantage of the 26 million tons of waste we have every year in our landfills and in our dustbins to recycle them. Morocco generates 7 to 8 million tons of industrial waste that we need to reuse ” , declared Mounir El Bari, Chairman of Covad, at the opening ceremony.
“ If we’re all gathered here today, it’s because we’re all convinced of the importance of the circular economy. So please help us help you convince the others who are not in this room. By putting in place a clear roadmap that reflects the urgency of the circular economy ” , declared Leïla Benali, Minister for Energy Transition and Sustainable Development. According to the Minister, who stressed that even if the regulatory and legislative arsenal is there, Morocco is highly respected internationally for this reason. But it is still a question of convincing people by going further. As proof of this, she recalled Law 77-15, affectionately known as “ zero mika” (zero plastic) , which is “ not respected ”. Plastic bags continue to proliferate in the country because, she says, there is a lack of incentives and coercive measures (see our survey of September 06, 2024). And yet, she asserts, “ on issues where we need radical changes in behavior, we need to think about putting in place incentives and coercive measures to ensure their proper implementation ”.
Aziz DIOUF
