CS TOBIKO VOUCHES FOR POLICIES AIMED AT SUSTAINABLE INNOVATIONS

Environment and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko has called  for utilization of knowledge to make policies that foster creativity in a sustainable context.

Speaking today during the opening of the Sustainable Innovation Expo at the sidelines of the Fourth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 4) the CS said securing the financing of eco-innovative business activities is critical as many can be costly.

“Eco-innovation and financing are important to Kenya, as it is to the world. Kenya has been following a linear development model, whereby goods that are consumed result in significant waste that is disposed in dumpsites,” the CS said.

This model goes against the spirit of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 12 which calls on States to achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources and to substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse by 2030.

The Ministry of Environment is currently implementing a pilot project on industrial ecology  in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Kingdom of Denmark.

This project promotes a circular economy in the manufacturing sector by promoting industrial symbiosis whereby industries exchange waste and by-products for further processing into finished goods. This is a cradle-to-cradle approach and extends the life-cycle of products.

The CS was accompanied by the Minister of Estonia and President of UNEA4 Siim Valmar Kiisler, UN Environment Acting Executive Director  Joyce Msuya among others. #UNEA4 #SolveDifferent