SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Republic of Moldova is one of the few countries in the region that almost entirely depends on imported fuels. The dependency on external energy sources leads to high-energy prices and large debts to foreign suppliers. Moldova has great potential to produce energy from its own renewable sources, which has not yet been exploited. Energy and biomass projects aim to promote the use of renewable energy, rural communities included. Innovation is therefore also of great importance.

There is a growing limitation of the availability of natural resources. To relieve the pressures placed on the finite resources available it has become more important to prevent waste and to improve waste management by moving from a linear system to being more cyclical so that materials, products and substances are used as efficiently as possible. Materials must be chosen so that it may either return safely to a cycle within the environment or remain viable in the industrial cycle. Not only reuse and recycling of domestic and industrial waste is important, but, more relevant, to promote prevention and product designs that consider the entire product life cycle, is of utmost importance. Such an approach may be applied to businesses, communities, industrial sectors, schools and homes and strongly supports sustainability by protecting the environment, reducing costs and producing additional jobs in the management and handling of wastes back into the industrial cycle.

ACTIVITIES

To contribute to sustainable development in the Republic of Moldova in the areas of waste management and energy. In particular:

• To stimulate the research on enhancing the waste management
• To promote the recycling of waste from households and the industry
• To promote the reuse of secondary raw materials and to discourage the direct use of natural resources
• To initiate activities for the application of renewable energy