Eco Mark Africa:

Leveraging Green Trade Opportunities for African Producers

Purity KarugaAEM Programme Coordinator19th October 2011, Addis Ababa

Overview

Challenges• UNECA: “Trade confined within the RECs appears

to be less optimal than trade at the Africa wide level.

“Need to redouble efforts to harmonize community markets to create a larger Africa-wide marketplace”

• Imposed standards can create barriers to trade Standards for Africa need to take into account

specific local conditions

• Climate Change poses a threat to the production systems especially of smallholders

Need to adapt African producers to the detrimental effects of climate change

1. UNECA 2010: Assessing Regional Integration in Africa IV – Enhancing Intra-African Trade

Opportunities

The Global Organic Market Reached USD 54.9 billion in 2009

1 SIPPO 2011: The organic market in Europe

Excellent Export Potential for Sustainable African Products in International Markets

• Since 1999, the global market for organic products more than tripled1

• The largest part of the turnover was in Europe (48%) and North America (48.1%)1

• The US and Europe combined constitute at least 50% of [conventional and organic] exports for a number of RECs, and more than 60% in many others2

1 WILLER & YUSEFFI-MENZLER 2008: Ökologischer Landbau weltweit2 UNECA 2010: Assessing Regional Integration in Africa IV – Enhancing Intra-African Trade

But Why (Only) Seek So Far Afield?

Between 2000 and 2007…

• growth in intra-African trade outpaced the growth in Africa’s trade with the rest of the world by about 10%

• Intra-REC exports in general registered an average growth rate of 15%

• growth in intra-Africa exports was 25%

UNECA 2010: Assessing Regional Integration in Africa IV – Enhancing Intra-African Trade

Introduction to the Eco Mark Africa:

An opportunity for Africa EMA credibly verifies the sustainability profiles of African products to make them more competitive in international markets and secure them improved market access at

national regional and international level.

Thus, EMA creates incentives for the shift towards sustainable consumption and production patterns in Africa and supports adaptation to climate change.

EMA adheres to the WTO principle of non-discrimination and addresses the concerns of developing countries in Africa.

Where Have We Come From?

The African Eco-labelling Mechanism (AEM) as the pan-African political structure and technical framework will award the Eco Mark Africa (EMA) label on the basis of a clear set of sustainability criteria.

Implementation

The EMA Standard shall consist of threshold criteria and indicators suitable for the African continent, aligning the three dimensions of sustainability in order to specifically address the challenges of climate change.

The standard will be designed in such a way that: existing standard systems may be benchmarked against it accredited certifiers may use it to certify companies.

In both cases, operators who fulfil the requirements of the EMA standards may use the EMA label.

To include a large number of African smallholders, the EMA will also develop a capacity building programme.

EMA – how will it work?

At a later stage, the scope of the AEM shall be expanded to additional sectors

Priority Sectors

AEM Structure to Award the Eco Mark Africa

Structure

Clear sets of Principles & Criteria

As generic as possible

Criteria on the following Principles are generic for the four sectors:1. Legal Compliance2. Social and Environmental Management Systems3. Good Social Practice

As sector-specific as necessary

Criteria on sector-specific issues such as stock management for

fisheries or soil management for agriculture and forestry

Principles Agriculture Fisheries Forestry Tourism

Legal Compliance

S & E Management System

Good Social Practices

Conservation of Biodiversity

Stock Management

Soil Management

Water Management

Energy Efficiency

Air and GHG Management

Pesticide Management

Waste Management

Good Business Practices

Multi Stakeholder Involvement

Time frame: December 2009 – March 2013

Partners: AUC (African Union Commission) ARSO (African Organisation for Standardisation) ARSCP (African Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production)UNEP (UN Environmental Programme)RECs (African Regional Economic Communities)UNIDO (UN Industrial Development Organisation)UNECA (UN Economic Commission for Africa)GIZ (German Development Cooperation)

Commissioned and funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) within the framework of its International Climate Initiative.

PartnershipsInstitutionalization of the AEM

Please visit us at www.ecomarkafrica.com

Thank you for your attention!