On 22 December, the first meeting for “the national working group for building a guide and training program for the design of sustainable packaging” was held as part of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) led SwitchMed/MED TEST III project in Israel. Due to the strict coronavirus measures, the meeting was convened online and presented the findings of a review of international guidelines for design and recyclability of plastic packaging. Members from Israel’s packaging, plastic and recycling industry along with international experts in packaging, and UNIDO attended the meeting to discuss the findings and the applicability for Israel.

Organized by the Afeka Institute of Circular Engineering and Economy, this meeting is held as part of a consultation process in Israel to develop national guidelines for sustainable plastic packaging design with improved recyclability based on EU and international best practices.

The review of the international guidance presented at the meeting, indicated the need for harmonization among the various guidelines that circulate in Europe and globally. In order to get clarity on the needs and demands for the Israeli market, the next step for the national working group is to resolve a set of questions required related to the Israeli market to get a better understanding of what changes need to be made from existing guidelines and develop a guideline that is suitable to Israel.

The SwitchMed initiative is funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Economy Division, the United Nations Environment Programme Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) and its Regional Activity Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP/RAC). The initiative was launched in 2013 to speed up the shift to sustainable consumption and production patterns in the Southern Mediterranean, notably through the promotion of circular economy approaches. The programme aims at achieving productive, circular and sharing economies in the Mediterranean by changing the way goods and services are consumed and produced so that human development is decoupled from environmental degradation.

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Press release

MED TEST III project in Israel

SwitchMed – website and Facebook page