On 22 March, an online meeting with representatives from the Government of Morocco, the Delegation of the European Union and stakeholders from Morocco’s fish processing industry launched a project that will focus on improving the resource-efficiency and waste valorization along the value chain of fish products in Morocco.

Under the EU-funded SwitchMed Blue Economy component, UNIDO and stakeholders from Morocco’s fish processing industries will until 2023 develop a series of pilot projects to improve resource-efficiency in the Moroccan fish and seafood processing value chain.

Following the European Union’s “blue growth” strategy, the second phase of the SwitchMed program includes a Blue Economy component that supports the adoption of sustainable business practices in marine-related economic activities, such as the fish processing industries. The overall objective of the Blue Economy component is to ensure that economic activities in marine regions do not negatively impact ecosystems and livelihoods while supporting and improving associated economic sectors for future operations.

The Blue Economy project will analyze regulatory and market barriers and the potential for optimization to reduce the environmental impact of industrial sites. In addition, the project will study the potential of applying eco-innovative SMART technologies and industrial synergies in Morocco’s fish processing industry.

The SwitchMed sustainable consumption and production programme aims to promote a switch by the Mediterranean economies towards sustainable consumption and production patterns and green economy, including low-emission development, through demonstration and dissemination of methods that improve resource and energy efficiency. It also seeks to minimise the environmental impacts associated with the life cycle of products and services and, where possible, to promote renewable energy.

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SwitchMed website