FACILITATING THE SWITCH TO LARGE SCALE IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION (SCP) IN ASIA

The SWITCH-Asia Network Facility tackles the most pressing environmental challenges in Asia. It plays a key role for the switch towards more sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns in Asia’s rapidly transforming economies  and is the back-bone of an innovative EU-funded programme called SWITCH-Asia.     

At present 47 SWITCH-Asia projects  are ongoing (and up to 30 more are expected to add in the next years) across the region striving to go beyond pilot and demonstration only and serve as points of transformation in Asia. This is made possible by institutionalising synergies and utilizing the potential of networks that are being initiated and strengthened by the SWITCH-Asia Network Facility.

 

Scaling-up as a basic principle

The SWITCH-Asia Programme places its primary emphasis on maximising opportunities for broad replication and scaling-up of benefits. Accordingly, the SWITCH-Asia Network Facility facilitates that case-related knowledge is shared and made available among participants for all projects. The Network Facility links project related knowledge within a strong SCP network that spans borders to promote integration of this SCP knowledge among business, political leaders and other stakeholders.

 

Transforming stakeholders into agents for replication

In its role as a facilitator the SWITCH-Asia Network Facility enables stakeholders and intermediaries to fully realise their potential and become agents for replication of successful projects. Only through engaging business associations, financial institutions, suppliers and partners within value chains can markets for SCP friendly business be created to enable innovative Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to succeed.

 

Bridging the implementation gap between available tools and the most pressing SCP issues

Many tools, technologies, practices and knowledge for implementing SCP practices are currently available in both Europe and Asia. However, projects that have been implemented on a demonstration scale need to be implemented more broadly in the Asia region and uptake by Asia’s innovative SME sector needs to be supported.

 

The Network Facility is funded through a direct award service contract under the EU SWITCH-Asia programme and is being led by the Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) and Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy.