(Addis Chamber, May 17, 2024) This is indicated during a training workshop hosted by Addis Chamber provided to representatives of businesses drawn from various manufacturing sectors.
Currently Addis Chamber is implementing a project in partnership with Danish Industries ( DI) in green and just transition said Seyoum Chane, Deputy Secretary General of Addis Chamber while addressing the gathering.
He further said that Addis Chamber, as one of its strategic pillars gives emphasis for business sustainability and competitiveness and current future trend analysis indicate that it is quite impossible to pursue business without adhering ESG , CSR and other practices.
This is due to the fact that the issues of ESG are becoming a global agenda and becoming binding for businesses to act accordingly.
During the daylong training experts of sustainable development have shared their immense experience and they said that despite the huge potential of leather existed in Ethiopia , there remains major gaps in using such resources wisely and sustainably.
According to Zenebe Mekonnen (PhD), researcher in sustainability said that majority of leather and textile industries in Ethiopia lacks waste treatment facilities to discharge their industrial waste causing major harm both on human and ecosystem.
He also said that cost of pollution can be reach up to 4 of the total GDP of the country.
Weak enforcement of environmental laws, lack of clearly thought plans, the nature of companies to be profit oriented and lack of exclusion of public participation in environmental pollution control schemes are attributed to the low ESG enforcements, said the panelist while sharing his experience.
Fikadu Getachew, another panelist and researcher said that households , factories and hotels are major sources of waste that also affects the environment such as wildlife and public health.
He also describes the various waste management options to be pursued by companies and meanwhile the panelist shared the advantages of promoting green cities in the likes of reducing population, better run-off water management, favoring friendliness among others.
He also listed out the various waste management options such as prevention, minimization, recycling and reuse, biological treatment, incineration, and landfill disposal.
The training workshop also entertained the diverse experience of local and international companies to be adopted locally and it is also noted that Addis Chamber to further undertake such kinds of capacity building workshops for private sectors jointly with development partners.