As the world continues to consume finite resources at an alarmingly rapid rate, Roberta de Palma, Chief Technical Advisor of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization’s (UNIDO) MEDTEST programme, believes that “women can be powerful agents of change” when it comes to drastically overhauling lifestyles and production and consumption patterns.
Sustainable production and consumption is a key theme of the European Union-funded SwitchMed programme, which encompasses UNIDO’s Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technology (TEST) methodology. TEST helps industries to switch to greener management and production systems, whilst at the same time helping companies to make significant financial savings.
With over 20 years’ experience of managing complex sustainability projects in industry in the fields of resource efficiency, corporate responsibility, eco-innovation and cleaner technology transfer, De Palma considers it a privilege to “have the opportunity to fulfil my dream to help developing countries with protecting and preserving their natural capital and creating prosperity through more sustainable and circular industrial practices.”