The Zenata Development Company (SAZ) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) are joining forces to ensure the sustainability of the Zenata industrial park in Morocco.
The industrial park is located within the Zenata Eco-City, which aims to optimize the consumption of energy and water, and to reduce liquid and solid waste – both at the residential and industrial levels.
The Zenata industrial park will accommodate the 200 companies which are already active on the Zenata territory, as well as a number of new industrial units. The development of the industrial park’s largest portion is completed and companies have already begun to establish their operations in the park.
UNIDO works to support the development of eco-industrial parks as part of a programme funded by Switzerland. “The eco-industrial park concept promoted by UNIDO will contribute to achieving the goals of the Zenata Eco-City,” said Smail Alhilali, Chief of UNIDO’s Emerging Compliance Regimes Division.
“The goal is to strengthen collaboration among industrial park companies to improve their social, economic and environmental performance. Ultimately, this will allow inclusive and sustainable industrial production, “added Alhilali.
The partnership combines UNIDO’s international experience in the industrial sector with SAZ’s know-how in the development of an eco-city.
“The partnership with UNIDO will enable us to share SAZ’s best practices with other international projects of the Organization,” said a representative of SAZ. “For SAZ, having a body like UNIDO as a strategic partner not only adds value but also helps to promote the project nationally and internationally.”
The Zenata eco-industrial park aims to encourage businesses to adopt sustainable development practices to ensure a harmonious economic development of the city while reducing the impact of industrial activities on the environment.
It will enable enterprises to realize significant economic and financial gains by reducing the use of water and energy, for example. The park will also create an attractive and competitive business environment by helping develop synergies between companies.
The Zenata industrial park project offers an important opportunity for environmental and regulatory upgrading, in line with the approach of Morocco’s Secretary of State for Sustainable Development regarding industrial pollution and its effective control.
The project fits within the framework of Morocco’s Programme for Country Partnership (PCP) – implemented in partnership between the Moroccan government and UNIDO – which aims to advance industrialization by supporting the implementation of the country’s Industrial Acceleration Plan 2014-2020.
The Zenata Eco-City aims to welcome 300,000 inhabitants and create 100,000 jobs through 4 high value-added activities, namely a health centre, an education centre, a sales centre and a logistics centre.
