On October 20, 2023, a Green Club's 4th meeting was held in the Armavir Development Center. The purpose of this meeting was to present to the Club members the “Module 4: Raw materials/Weste”.
The fourth Green Clubs meeting centred around Module 4, which delves into saving raw materials and reducing waste aspects. This module offers a comprehensive exploration of the use of raw materials and waste management, utilization, recycling, and how to mitigate their adverse environmental consequences. The meeting yielded valuable insights into methods for minimizing these impacts and effectively tackling the ensuing environmental challenges.
The event was attended by 20 participants, including representatives from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the region, the local government of the Armavir community, the NGO sector, and the project staff of REC Caucasus, who serves as the National Implementing Partner.
The speakers, UNIDO National RECP experts, Green Club Facilitators D. Sahakyan and S. Sekoyan, delivered a presentation on "Raw Materials and Waste - Global Issues." They emphasized the ongoing rise in global material consumption and discussed the environmental consequences at various stages of material utilization. This encompassed aspects such as energy consumption, land utilization, depletion of natural resources, as well as air and water pollution, and waste generation.
Mrs. Dshkhuhi Sahakyan discussed the benefits of both linear and circular economies and their environmental implications. The expert also elaborated on the Waste Hierarchy, with a particular focus on waste processing and recycling. He highlighted key national challenges related to raw materials and waste management:
- Legislative gaps
- Awareness levels
- Financial resources
- Familiarity with innovative technologies and approaches
- Issues related to access to leading expertise and skilled human resources.
Mr. Tigran Sekoyan discussed the benefits of efficient material use and waste reduction, as well as the associated challenges. He also shared real-world business examples from Armenian organizations that have effectively managed their raw materials.
The speakers also delved into a comparison of the terms "Material Efficiency" and "Minimal Waste."
During the meeting's conclusion, I emphasized several key points related to the day's theme, including:
- The relationship between material use, consumption, and cost.
- An overview of the types, volumes, and sources of waste.
- Factors influencing material inefficiency, losses, and waste generation.
- The root causes of inefficiency, material losses, and waste generation.
- The importance of developing and implementing Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production (RECP) strategies to enhance material efficiency and minimize waste.
At the end of the session Green Club Facilitator explained the next steps of the Green Club, assignments for the next workshop, and data collection on Raw materials/Waste management in the participant’s organizations.
After the meeting, the RECP Green Clubs Technical Experts team conducted a visit to „Jraghatspanyan Winery“ LLC operating in Armavir Marz, identified as a participant of the Green Clubs initiative. The purpose of these visits was to familiarize themselves with the production capabilities of these enterprises and conduct an initial/preliminary assessment of their activities.
