Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1517430
14.3.2024 2 NEWS 14.3.2024 TRADEMALTA is currently in Ethiopia, assisting Malta-based businesses to unlock new op- portunities. e trade delegation, which is being organised by TradeMalta in collaboration with the Ethi- opian Investment Commission, is made up of sixteen enter- prises coming from different sectors – education and train- ing, construction and building maintenance services, medical equipment, business consul- tancy, manufacturing, energy and sustainable solutions, ICT, financial services, and archi- tectural and design profession- al services. Malta Enterprise, MCAST and the Institute of Tourism Studies are also part of the del- egation. Being the seat of the African Union, Ethiopia presents at- tractive opportunities for Mal- ta-based businesses exploring new avenues for export and in- ternational expansion. Moreover, Ethiopia serves as a hub in Eastern Africa, acting as a vital gateway to tap into the broader East African market. is provides huge potential for fostering mutually bene- ficial economic growth and collaboration between the two nations. e multi-sector business mission currently in Addis Ababa aims to assist Mal- ta-based businesses to extend their reach into this untapped market, whilst capitalising on the significant benefits brought about by the setting up of Mal- ta's embassy in Addis Ababa two years ago. rough leveraging this dip- lomatic milestone, delegates can unlock new growth oppor- tunities in the vibrant econom- ic landscape of Addis Ababa and beyond. Anton Buttigieg, CEO of TradeMalta said this Trade Mission is an important mile- stone to consolidate commer- cial ties between Malta and Ethiopia as it will unlock un- tapped investment opportuni- ties. "During our first visit we are providing Malta-based busi- nesses with insights into the intricacies of conducting busi- ness in Ethiopia," he said. "It is encouraging that so many busi- nesses are showing an increas- ing interest in doing business in this part of the world. " He said TradeMalta encour- ages Malta-based companies interested in taking their busi- ness across borders to reach out with their ideas and plans and avail themselves of the support and services offered. "We look forward to offer- ing guidance and resources to materialise their internation- alization plans into success- ful cross-border endeavours" Buttigieg said. TradeMalta is organising the first Malta – Ethiopia business forum in Addis Ababa with key Ethiopian stakeholders. is will be followed by a busi- ness-to-business matchmak- ing session that will provide an opportunity to the Maltese delegation to discuss potential business opportunities. TradeMalta CEO Anton Buttigieg addressing the business forum in Addus Ababa TradeMalta on its first trade mission to Ethiopia Businesses discuss EU textile and food waste measures THE Malta Business Bureau has organ- ised an information session with busi- nesses on the EU's proposal for a revised Waste Framework Directive (WFD). e European Commission has now pro- posed a revision of the WFD to place a greater emphasis on the reduction and proper management of food waste and textile waste. For the first time, the new rules put for- ward binding food waste reduction tar- gets which all member states must meet. Latest EU statistics show that 139kg of food per person is wasted in the EU every year, which makes up 10% of all food made available to EU customers. In finan- cial terms, this leads to losses of around €132 billion. By the end of 2030, member states must achieve a 10% reduction in food waste in manufacturing, and a 30% reduction in households, hospitality, and retail, com- pared to 2020 levels. Possible measures include supporting behavioural change, raising awareness, addressing inefficien- cies in the food supply chain, encouraging food donation, redistribution, and skills development. MBB President Alison Mizzi said that by minimizing waste, businesses can achieve significant cost savings, enhance operational efficiency and foster a more sustainable approach. "is not only contributes to their bot- tom line, but also resonates with the growing consumer demand for environ- mentally responsible practices," she said. Mizzi however noted that selecting 2020 as the baseline year to measure food waste reduction has proven controversial. "is ignores the socioeconomic cir- cumstances brought about by the Cov- id-19 pandemic. As with many industries, hospitality suffered from repeated and prolonged periods of closures or other re- strictions," she said. "is means any food waste data gathered that year does not re- flect the real-world scenario of hospitality establishments"." e reduction of textile waste is also a key objective of the revised directive. Ini- tial efforts shall be placed on strengthen- ing producer responsibility to carry the cost of waste management. rough Extended Producer Respon- sibility schemes, producers of clothing, footwear, and household textiles will fi- nancially contribute towards collecting used textiles, carrying out of composi- tional surveys of collected mixed mu- nicipal waste, providing information on sustainable and circular practices, data gathering, and supporting R&D to im- prove waste processing. Producers would also be obliged to set up their own free collection systems for used textiles, to run alongside public col- lection systems operated by governments. Textile waste poses a major challenge across the globe. Current data shows that the EU generates 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste each year, with almost half attributed to clothing and footwear waste alone. At the same time, only 22% of such waste is collected for recycling or reuse. e webinar also featured interventions by MHRA CEO Andrew Agius Muscat and e Malta Chamber Policy Executive (Sustainability) Gabby Grech Larsson. Agius Muscat shared his views on the proposal from the perspective of hospi- tality, stressing that hotels and restaurants have already prioritised food waste reduc- tion in their kitchens, while more needs to the done to tackle households. On her part, Grech Larsson shared what support e Malta Chamber may offer business- es to reduce the environmental impact of their operations, through the Enterprise Europe Network service. As it stands, the current WFD establish- es fundamental principles and definitions concerning waste management, outlining important concepts such as what is con- sidered waste, recycling, and recovery. It also sets out how waste should be man- aged to avoid adverse impacts on health, the environment, noise, and other as- pects. e proposal for a revised WFD is an important file to address two sources of waste which has so far lagged behind. e information session was hosted by MBB's EU Policy Manager on Sustainabil- ity Gabriel Cassar who also provided an overview of the proposal's main elements and what they mean for businesses in practice. He explained how the proposal may be expanded in the future to cover more sources of food and textile waste. e MBB has been working closely with national and EU policymakers to put for- ward the views and concerns of Maltese businesses. ose interested in further in- formation are encouraged to contact the MBB EU policy team on infobrussels@ mbb.org.mt. e Malta Business Bureau is the EU business advisory organisation of e Malta Chamber and e Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association. It is also a partner of the Enterprise Europe Net- work. For the first time, the new rules put forward binding food waste reduction targets which all member states must meet