Challenges such as limited water resources, high energy rates, and costly imports are hindering Jordan’s industry from producing cost-effectively. These issues not only impact businesses financially but also impede the growth and competitiveness of Jordan’s economy.
Since 2015, UNIDO and the Royal Scientific Society have collaborated to showcase the benefits of resource-efficient production in Jordan.
Thanks to the success of the MED TEST II project, the government of Jordan and other stakeholders worked together to create a national roadmap for increased resource efficiency in the industry.
The subsequent MED TEST III project has continued to demonstrate the benefits of resource-efficient production in 15 industries from the chemical, food and beverage, and plastic sectors.
Through locally trained service providers, these demonstrations have identified 242 resource efficiency measures, with 202 of them approved and incorporated into action plans for implementation. These measures have the potential to save the participating 15 companies 115,239 m3 of water, 8,671 MWh of energy, 1,635 tons of materials, and 3,375 tons of CO2-equivalent emissions annually. Additionally, the investments for the identified measures have an average Payback Period of 2.2 years, potentially saving the companies €2.7 million in annual production costs.
During the 15 industry pilot demonstrations, eight service providers underwent training and an on-the-job training to become qualified in the UNIDO TEST methodology and 80 industry professionals received training in the same methodology. Additionally, six Memoranda of Understanding were signed with academic institutions and vocational schools to introduce the concept of resource-efficient production and the UNIDO TEST methodology into their curricula.
The success of this collaboration is inspiring and offers hope for a more resource-efficient and sustainable future for the industry in Jordan.