Reference projects

ECOPROFIT, a resource efficiency project, was implemented by 18 companies in South Africa who participated in three workshops and three on-site consultation meetings to implement efficiency measures to reduce energy, water and waste consumption and associated costs. Our expertise has enabled companies in Port Elizabeth and East London to reduce energy consumption, reduce energy costs and build a network for resource efficiency.

Motivation
Lower energy and resource consumption at a constant production output or service level usually translates into lower energy costs. Therefore the motivation for a higher resource efficiency lies in the fundamental goals of every company.

Starting point
In South Africa, however, a lack of awareness and knowledge within companies often prevents a broader demand for resource efficiency services. A further obstacle in many developing and emerging countries is the lack of qualified experts who are active on the market as energy service providers, as well as a scarce supply of "green" technologies. Moreover, there are often no government incentives or obligations in place to encourage energy efficiency and sustainable production.

Setting objectives
The project should serve as a catalyst for increasing capacity of energy and resource efficiency. More specifically, the following objectives should be achieved:

• Consulting, training, guidance and evaluation of the participating companies in their individual efforts for energy and resource efficiency measures, cleaner production as well as implementation and certification of environmental or energy management systems
• Support of the local partners in setting up ECOPROFIT networks and moderated platforms at Nelson Mandela Bay (NMBM, Port Elizabeth) and Buffalo City (East London).
• Raising awareness for energy and resource efficiency among the participating group of companies and their top management as well as for ECOPROFIT as a benchmark model by communicating the project's successes

Scope of services
The project package included the design and implementation of the ECOPROFIT workshops, the business consultancy programme and support for local partners in the preparation and implementation of the workshops, the activation of the business network for the exchange of experience beyond the scope of the project and raising awareness of the envisaged issues by promoting best practices among the business community.

Result
In total, the 18 companies implemented a total of 21 energy efficiency measures and were able to save 1,395,500 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy, resulting in energy cost savings of 877,600 rand (approx. 54,000€) per year. The total investment was 1.527.400 Rand (ca. 97.000€). The measures implemented achieve an average payback period of 1.7 years. The energy savings add up to a total of 786 tons of CO2. The ECOPROFIT project can be continued by the local partners on the basis of a comprehensive range of supporting information and consulting documents.