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Business and government are working together to build an environmental technology centre (C3TEM) to increase the competitiveness of local industry, reduce pollution and improve the general standard of living.

Mohammedia is a highly industrialized Moroccan
city with about 170,000 inhabitants and is home to
the largest crude oil port of the country. The region also serves as a recreation area for tourists and the population of nearby Casablanca. Due to the increasing industrial activities, air and water pollution have become a crucial problem.

Due to the introduction of stricter environmental
standards by the government and increased demands from local authorities, the population and international markets, local companies are under immense pressure to use cleaner production methods.

This initiative is the result of more than a year of consultations among a wide range of stakeholders - from local and national public authorities to businesses, local and international research institutions, NGOs and a variety of community-based organisations. They are collaborating to set up a local environmental technology transfer centre (C3TEM), using local resources and external support, to support local enterprises in upgrading their technological capacity, and to act as a platform for interaction among the city's various interest groups.

The main activities of this initiative are to:

• Collect and release relevant environmental information; Organise training courses in the field of environmental management;
• Provide technical assistance and facilitate the use of new environmental technologies;
• Encourage the demand driven development and transfer of technologies from the local university;
• Facilitate sustainable investments;
• Network the various interest groups and other specialised centres;
• Encourage local researchers to set up enterprises.

The ultimate aim of the project is to create a replicable model which may be franchised globally.