ToR - Market Readiness & ESG for Circular Businesses Opportunities in Waste and Energy Workshop

The Waste Valorization Cluster (QEEMA) and the Sustainable Energy Cluster are jointly organizing a capacity-building session to strengthen their members’ ability to win markets and funding by aligning with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards.

In Lebanon, both waste valorization companies and sustainable energy service providers face similar challenges:

• Building trust and demand for recycled, upcycled, and sustainable products and services.
• Meeting international certification and ESG requirements to access finance and export opportunities.
• Positioning themselves in a market increasingly driven by circular economy principles.

This session will provide a balanced perspective for both clusters, highlighting how market development and ESG integration can unlock growth, attract financing, and strengthen competitiveness.

The objective is to engage a qualified trainer/expert to deliver an introductory 3-hour in-person session for 15–25 participants that:

• Explains how circular economy principles drive market development.
• Provides practical guidance on ESG frameworks and compliance, and what matters for companies.
• Highlights how waste valorization and sustainable energy companies can leverage ESG for financing, investment, tenders and exports.
• Showcases regional case studies from both sectors.

The trainer will be expected to design and deliver a session that covers:

1. Market Development in Circular Value Chains
   1. Waste focus: trust & certification for recycled/upcycled products
   2. Energy focus: shape value proposition that meet ESG-driven demand (corporates, donors, municipalities…)
2. Introduction to ESG
   1. What ESG is (and isn’t) for SMEs.
   2. High-level intro to ESG frameworks (GRI, CSRD simplified): what to know if exporting/serving EU buyers, supplier codes of conduct
   3. Why ESG matters for investors, banks, donors and corporate buyers.
3. Practical Applications (Interactive Discussion)
   1. Waste: Eco-labeling, product certification, documentation for buyers and ESG-linked supply chain opportunities.
   2. Energy: Integrating ESG metrics into proposals tenders, clients, O&M reporting and donors.
4. Case Studies & Examples/Q&A
   1. 2 concise regional cases (one waste, one energy) with metrics (conversion rates, pricing/ premium, certification/ESG lift).
   2. Open Q&A tailored to company contexts.

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

1. Understand market opportunities for circular products (waste valorization) and sustainable energy services in Lebanon and the region.
2. Understand the role of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) in improving competitiveness, unlocking finance, and enabling exports.
3. Identify practical steps to begin integrating ESG practices into their operations, proposals, and reporting.
4. Learn from real-world case studies of how waste and energy companies have successfully leveraged ESG for market development.
5. Explore synergies across clusters by seeing how circular products and sustainable energy solutions can reinforce each other in ESG-driven value chains.

Deliverables

• Delivery of a 3-hour in-person workshop session in Beirut.
• Bid/proposal ESG Add-On: one page annex structure) KPIs, governance, supply-chain screening)
• Funding & Standards Map (1 page): relevant certifications/labels, buyers standards and indicative cost/time.

• Proven expertise in market development for circular products and sustainable energy services.
• Strong knowledge of ESG frameworks, standards, and reporting relevant to SMEs in emerging economies.
• Experience working with waste valorization companies and energy service providers (ESPs).
• Demonstrated experience in delivering interactive trainings and simplifying ESG into business actions.

• Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate ESG and market topics into practical business insights.

• Familiarity with Lebanon/MENA private-sector realities.

To ensure the selection of the most qualified candidate, the following criteria will be used to assess expertise, experience, and approach:

• Technical expertise and relevant experience in Lebanon and MENA
• Methodological approach and toolkit quality
• Training capabilities
• Financial offer

• One (1) training session of 3 hours.
• To be delivered in person in Beirut (place to TBC)
• Date: October 16, 2025
• Time: TBC