The TEST toolkit web interface was designed by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Industrial Resource Efficiency Division of the Department of Environment, within the framework of the MED TEST III component of the EU-funded SwitchMed initiative. The MED TEST II project, implemented from 2014 to 2018, laid the groundwork for promoting the shift toward sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns in eight countries of the Southern Mediterranean neighbourhood region (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, and Tunisia). Building on this foundation, the MED TEST III project, carried out between 2019 and 2024, continued to drive these efforts forward.
The target users of this web interface are practitioners and service providers working for the manufacturing industry interested in learning a methodology (TEST) and a set of tools to help businesses improve their competitive advantage while adopting resource efficiency strategies and solutions. In addition, this toolkit can be used by development agencies and national authorities in designing and delivering technical assistance programmes to improve resource efficiency in the industrial sector.
The TEST methodology developed by UNIDO is a systematic way of identifying and exploring the most feasible potentials for resource efficiency and continuous improvement of the use of materials, water and energy within a company, building on its specific needs and internal capacities. It combines the essential elements of a set of tools for sustainable production, namely Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Assessment (RECPA), Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA) and Environmental and Energy Management Systems (EMS/EnMS) within the framework of the Deming learning cycle (Plan, Do, Check, Act).
This web interface provides a description of the overall logic of the TEST methodology and detailed guidance to implement its four steps (planning, support and operation, performance evaluation, and improvement), including tools and other supporting materials such as worksheets, exercises, presentations, case studies, etc. that can be used both for training purposes and for practical work in companies.
It is recommended to follow the order of the TEST steps to optimize results. Nevertheless, the implementation of the TEST approach should be driven by the company’s needs and its initial baseline situation, and therefore, some steps can be implemented at different degrees of complexity and depth.
Enjoy the toolkit!