General Information
(Creation Year & Reason)

1996
Reason:   Need to concretely engage industrialists in developing countries in environmental action and sustainable development

Initiator(s)

Sustainable Business Associates (SBA) (Swiss NGO)

Objectives(s)

Put into place a framework for sensitizing industrialist in the Mashrek & Maghreb to the new business risks and opportunities related to environmental issues

Timeframes and Milestones

Sept 1996 - DELTA Forum in Amman, Jordan launched the creation of DELTA Networks in the Near East (Egypt, Jordan: Lebanon: Palestine, Syria)
Feb 1998 - DELTA Forum in Marrakech, Morocco launched the creation of DELTA Networks in North Africa (Algeria, Libya: Mauritania, Morocco: Tunisia)

Med-DELTA 2000 Programme (running until Dec. 2000) responding to needs expressed by DELTA Networks for: Environmental management tools & training, formation exchange; cleaner technologies; and technical assistance in order to improve environmental performance within the industrial sector.

Needs-assessment exercises were undertaken in the Mashrek (DELTA Near East Forum, Amman, Sept 1996) and Maghreb (DELTA North Africa Forum, Marrakech, Feb 1998).

Nov 2000, Med-DELTA 2000 Symposium - bring together the 10 DELTA Networks to report results and share success stories. The Symposium is designed to provide a neutral forum where industrialists can exchange experiences, challenges, case studies & methodologies used to improve environmental & business performance in companies and industries.

• Discussion points of the Symposium include the new risks & opportunities facing industry under the free trade zone envisioned by 2010 under the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, and identify further steps, collaborations, and partnerships that would be effective in enhancing the competitiveness of industry in the Mashrek & Maghreb. The ultimate aim of the Symposium is to 'make the bridge' between the Mashrek & Maghreb industrialists and European and international companies, to create a cross-regional network of competence & experience that can be drawn on to proactively address environmental issues

Implementation Process

The DELTA Programme has been formulated based on the following logic:

Step #1 - Sensitise industrialists & structure them into networks

• DELTA Near East Initiative

• DELTA North Africa Initiative

Step #2 - Operationalise the DELTA Networks

• Eco-Efficiency Workshops (Component #1)

Step #3 - Give the Networks the training & tools to work with

• Mentoring for Technical Assistance (Component #2)

• 'Good Housekeeping' (Component #3)

• Environmental Cost Management (Component #4)

• Integrated Management System for SMEs (Component #5)

• Minimisation-Oriented Environmental Diagnosis (Component #6)

Step #4 - Document & validate the results

• DELTA Web Site (Component #7)

• DELTA Newsletter (Component #8)

• Compendium of Eco-Efficiency Success Stories (Component #9)

• Med-DELTA 2000 Symposium (Component #10)

Step #5 - Evaluate the process & learn from the experience

• Evaluation of the DELTA Networks (Component #11)

Through its activities in the countries, SBA is trying to provide a practical rationale for the DELTA Networks to develop working processes, structures & local expertise; do fundraising; create their own Action Plans; and make their own links with relevant organisations, locally and internationally - which will be vital for immediate and future activities.

With respect to training & workshops carried out locally, the DELTA Networks are cost-sharing activities by handling local logistics & promotion, securing participants and political patronage, and supporting follow-up activities

Monitoring Process & Parties

In order to assess the results achieved, identify key success factors, and learn from the experience of Med-DELTA 2000, SBA is undertaking a critical evaluation of the different steps taken by SBA and the DELTA Networks, and their impact in positively changing the attitudes & behaviour of local industrialists vis-à-vis sustainable development.

In this respect, SBA is:

• Forming a cross-disciplinary Steering Committee of neutral experts, which will work to develop an evaluation methodology (quantitative + qualitative indicators for impact assessment)

• Documenting the different steps taken by the DELTA Networks to develop their structures & activities, and the approaches used to engage industrialists in environmental action

• Surveying the DELTA Networks to obtain information on the key indicators defined

• Assessing the Networks from an ROI (return on investment) perspective, and test this within 1-2 countries; assess overall results achieved and discuss these with the relevant parties

SBA will document its findings in a final Evaluation Report (targeted for completion by December 2000), which will be shared with the DELTA Networks across the Mashrek & Maghreb and with international organisations and agencies working to promote private sector engagement in sustainable development.

Success in Achieving Stated Objectives

• Networks of proactive industrialists in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, and Tunisia have been created and are actively engaged in environmental action.

• Special efforts are being made to engage small- & medium-size enterprises (SMEs), which often lack the resources, impetus, and knowledge to easily improve environmental performance and competitiveness

• SBA is currently developing detailed case studies drawn from the experiences of real companies in the main domains related to 'Good Housekeeping'. These case studies describe the challenge faced by the company, show how the 'Good Housekeeping' concepts have been applied, graphically illustrate the problem and solution, give the results achieved from both the environmental and economic point of view, and summarise lessons learned from a managerial perspective

Public Education & Information Components

• Eco-efficiency workshops have been carried out in Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Algeria (planned in Jordan & Morocco in 1Q 1999).

  • Each Workshop brought together up to 100 industrialists, as well as individuals from governmental agencies, environmental NGOs, and academic, research and financial institutions interested in working with business & industry to raise awareness of environmental issues and promote eco-efficiency development & dissemination of practical environmental tools (in Good Housekeeping, Environmental Cost Management, Minimisation-Oriented Environmental Diagnosis, Integrated Management System)

Replication Potential

High. DELTA is a model for engaging industry in taking concrete action through the use of networks replication in the countries through the DELTA Networks. Replication has already taken place with launch in North Africa

Mechanisms for Improvement

Program still very new, but SBA, based on their Monitoring Process, will make recommendations for future steps that could be taken by the DELTA Networks and other parties interested in engaging industrialists in environmental action

Contacts for Further Information