Protecting the environment saves money

Is it possible to cut production costs for a washing machine or a stove and reduce the environmental impact, without completely revamping production methods? ‘It turned out to be easier than we'd thought, and we didn't even have to compromise in terms of quality,’ confirms Abdelali El Kettani, Quality Manager at the Moroccan company Manar. This company has been manufacturing household appliances since 1957, using huge amounts of water in the process. In Morocco, as elsewhere, water is a precious and expensive commodity. With assistance from experts at the programme ‘Improvement of the international competitiveness of the Moroccan economy’, conducted by GTZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Manar has now succeeded in reducing the water consumption for production by 20 per cent. ‘We even managed to cut the energy costs for production by more than half,’ explains GTZ Team Manager Frank Dubert. Now, Manar will be able to pass these savings on to customers and enhance its competitiveness via the sales price, he says.

(Photo: The more efficient the individual production steps like cutting to size and painting are, the less energy is required. That saves costs and reduces the impact on the environment. Photo: GTZ Morocco)

The keyword for this form of business consultancy is Profitable Environmental Management. ‘We developed a modular training concept together with our partner ANPME, Morocco’s National Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises,’ Dubert says. ‘When companies apply to us, we start by scrutinising each production step from an environmental viewpoint.’ In the case of household appliances manufacturer Manar, it was clear that the investment in a new plant to treat industrial water would pay off within a very short time. The advisory services are supplemented by on-the-job training and workshops where participating companies can exchange their experiences. Altogether, more than 40 companies have already taken part in the advisory programme.

Beyond this, ten Moroccan technicians have already received additional training as Profitable Environmental Management trainers. ‘Our aim is to make Morocco largely independent of international experts when it comes to eco-efficient management,’ Dubert underlines. The environmental technicians trained by GTZ have already worked at 24 Moroccan companies, and Profitable Environmental Management is to become a firm component of the range of services offered in future by the promotion agency ANPME.