On October 27, 2023, a Green Club's 4th meeting was held in the Asparez press club. The purpose of this meeting was to present to the Club members the “Module 4: Raw materials/Weste”.
The event was attended by 19 participants, including representatives from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the region, the local government of the Gyumri community, the NGO sector, and the project staff of REC Caucasus, who serves as the National Implementing Partner. (LoP presented in the Annex 1)
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. D. Sahakyan highlighted the merits of both linear and circular economies and their environmental implications.
In the extensive discussion that followed, SME representatives shared insights into the collection, transportation, and disposal of waste produced by businesses in the city. This process has raised concerns about its impact on the city's cleanliness and calls for better oversight of SME activities. One speaker emphasized the urgency of regulating the adverse effects of unmanaged waste on the environment and the necessity of exploring recycling and reusing possibilities.
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. T. Sekoyan elucidated the benefits of optimizing material usage and minimizing waste, shedding light on the associated challenges, including the preservation of materials and waste reduction.
Additionally, the presentation featured real-life business cases, showcasing how Armenian organizations, beneficiaries of RECP, have effectively harnessed raw materials to their advantage.
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 “Hovik Papikyan” IE operating in Shirak Marz, identified as participants 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
