Author: SME Chamber

The business community led by GRTU continues to be baffled by Government‘s laissez faire attitude in respect to the implementation of the WEEE Directive in Malta. Would this attitude be just because it cannot afford to lose an income of 8million Euros from Eco Contribution receipts?

Or is it because the Authorities are somehow aware that Malta being so small will not face any infringement notice from the EU? Or is it because once it does receive an infringement notice it would ask the producers to fork out the bill, because this WEEE Directive is a direct producer responsibility and not the Government's?

The current MEPA WEEE register shows an amount of producers who have registered as WEEE producers but as yet have not taken any further steps because they are paying Eco Contribution heftily for all EEE products they place on the market.

And now the WEEE Directive has been amended drastically by the EU Commission and whilst we priorly had an obligation to recover 4kg per capita , our next obligation is recovery and recycling of 45% of any EEE goods placed on the market The 4kilos per capita represented approximately 12% of market placement. At 4kilos per capita Malta did nothing about this Directive, we failed miserably, and so GRTU is baffled and what the next step would be!

 Again, is it one of those Directives that can wait till after an election? If so, we are living in pitiful times. Environmental issues have no elections, they proceed day in day out and continue to be a hazard to our health. And strangely enough whilst well aware we can do much better, Authorities continue to linger?

There is one answer to all this. Minister Demarco should stand up and be counted. He knows that the policy in respect to this WEEE Directive is blatantly wrong. He has been told a million times over. Maybe some bright guy from Ministry of Finance has advised him that although producers are paying Eco Contribution, they are also legally liable to comply to the European Directive transposed into Maltese Legislation by Legal Notice 63 of 2007.

If this is the case then, once again we are in a sorry state. The stark reality is one, Government has not been able to come up with Euro 8 million income which he will lose if producers become exempt of payment of Eco Contribution due to their participation with a WEEE Compliance Scheme. 

It is all about lack of ideas, and lack of taking up challenges. It is all about beating round the bush. It is all about adding beaurocracy to beaurocracy. GRTU and other members of the business community have spend thousands of hours discussing implementation of the WEEE Directive. To date we have not come to terms…its been six long years….only one word can describe this…utterly disgusting from any point of view

To go one step further GRTU visited the EU Commission Environment Directorate on 17^th November 2010. They were very surprised that Malta has legislation in place which impedes the swift introduction of this Directive. They also said they would take action. They never did or do we have an infringement notice hidden in someone's drawer. Time will tell.

The Business Community led by GRTU is only left with three options now…

1. Operate a WEEE Compliance Scheme at the expense of having to increase the retail price of all Electrical and Electronic Equipment being sold to end customers, and in doing so evading any future penalties. But this would mean an increase in all consumer prices.

2. Instruct all producers who are today paying Eco Contribution to deposit the Eco Contribution due at the Maltese Courts, and in doing so placing Government under further pressure to come to terms with the Business Community.

Government is failing miserably in this issue.

It is failing in its moral obligations towards society. It is failing in its obligation towards the Business Community led by GRTU that has worked hard to set up a Compliance Scheme, Green MT to logistically implement such a Directive. It is failing on the European front since it is nowhere near the past 4kg target!

GRTU asks one question? Does the Government really care?

minhabba il-Funeral ta` l-Ex Prim Ministru Dom Mintoff – Ninfurmaw li s-Servizz tal-gbir ta' l-iskart min dawn it-Toroq – Triq Repubblika, Triq il-Merkanti, Triq Santa Lucija, Triq San Gwann, Triq it-Teatru, Triq Melita, Triq Nofsinnhar u Triq San zakkarija;

ta' nhar il-Hamis 23 ta' Awwissu 2012 jrid jihareg fil-16.00hrs

nhar is-Sibt 25 ta' Awwissu 2012 irid jihareg fis-14.00hrs minhabba li l-Funeral Statali jispicca fis-13.00hrs

Ninfurmak ukoll li t-tqassim tax-xoghol fl-istess Toroq imsemmija nhar is-Sibt 25 ta' Awwissu ser jkun sad-9.00a.m u mhux sad-9.30a.m minhabba l-Funeral Statali.

F'kas ta' diffikulta nitolbok tikkuntattja l-Ufficcju Amministrattiv tal-Kunsill Lokali tal-Belt fuq numru  21234141

Il-GRTU, Kamra Maltija tan-Negozji Zghar u Medji issellem lill-Perit Dom Mintoff, ex-Prim Ministru u mexxej storiku tal-Partit Laburista Malti u tesprimi is-soghba tal-mexxejja u membri tal-GRTU wara l-mewt tieghu. Il-Perit Dom Mintoff ta' kontribuzzjoni qawwija matul il-hajja politika twila tieghu biex tissahhah l-identita' nazzjonali ta' pajjizna, tissahhah l-infrastruttura ekonomika u tinholoq bazi ghall-industrija u t-turizmu u jinholqu opportunitijiet godda ta' xoghol f'pajjizna ghall-haddiema Maltin.

Kien fundamentali biex f'pajjizna jinbena' l-welfare state, jinqered il-faqar u jissahhu s-snajja tal-Maltin u jikbru l-opportunitajiet ghan-negozji zghar u ghas-self-employed. Il-GRTU bhala l-organizzazzjoni bl-akbar firxa u numru ta' negozji Maltin imsiehba tat is-sehem shih taghha biex il-politika ta' fejda ghall-Maltin imhaddma mill-Perit Mintoff tahdem ghall-gid ta' kullhadd, ghalkemm ir-relazzjonijiet bejn il-GRTU u l-amministrazzjoni tal-Perit Mintoff kienu hafna drabi turbulenti minhabba imgieba li kienet konfliggenti mal-idejali ta' kummerc hieles u liberta' lill-inizjattiva' privata bhala bazi ta' demokrazija u ekonomija hielsa u moderna li huma principji fundamentali ghall-GRTU.

Il-GRTU testendi is-sobgha ghall-mewt tal-Perit Dom Mintoff lill-familjari tieghu u lil dawk kollha li habbewh f'hajtu.

GRTU commends the Malta Environment and Planning Authority for issuing an Enforcement Order to the operator of an unpermitted waste sorting depot that had sprouted up in Zabbar. MEPA are well aware that there are other waste sorting depots as far as Gozo that also need such an enforcement notice. 

MEPA is well aware that a holder of a waste broker permit does not entitle one to operate a Waste Management Facility. MEPA should now delve deeper to see what volumes were deposited at that unpermitted facility and who brought these volumes of recyclable waste material to this facility. And MEPA should investigate who were the waste brokers who bought the material for export from this unpermitted site. Or was it the same offender who was responsible for exporting the said material? If so,this teaches us all a lesson. Such operators should not have vertical permits, i.e. a permit as a waste carrier, a permit as a Waste Broker and also a permit as a Waste Management Facility (the last permit was available for another site and not this site)

And if as stated, the offender does have a license and permit to handle waste, then this permit should be revoked now. In this sector like many others Malta does not need untrustworthy operators and the message by MEPA should be loud and clear. No permits to offenders in this sector. Payment of penalties is not enough in such instances.

Operators who are duly operating in this sector or who wish to take up these operations in the future should be well aware of their destiny should they decide to operate in a clandestine manner. MEPA knows sufficiently well that many of the problems it has to face are self-inflicted as a result of incompetent enforcement. MEPA's tolerance standards are far too high for serious environment protection and this is particularly through in waste management.

Malta's Waste Management Strategy, both policy and implementation, is at its infancy stage and GRTU accepts that MEPA should not tolerate rogue traders to be a part of these operations. MEPA is there to make sure that policy and strategy in relation to Environmental Issues are followed and adhered to and GRTU will support every inch of the way all its efforts in this direction. GRTU has led in both the setting up of a strategy in the recovery of recyclable waste through the setting up of Green MT, a fully owned subsidiary which has over the last five years enticed the business community to comply to their environmental obligations in respect to Packaging Waste Regulations.

Five years later, GRTU stands tall knowing that in the last three years of Green MT's operation, 38,000 tons of separated waste was collected from Malta and Gozo, instead of being landfilled.

MEPA should now continue its efforts both on other illegal waste sorting depots situated in a number of places in Malta and Gozo, including behind closed garage doors, and issue enforcement notices. A Waste Management Facility, being what it is should have an operational permit from Day 1. This is imperative. MEPA cannot allow the sprouting up of a black economy in this sector. There are permitted facilities, waste management facilities, who have spent thousands of Euros to make sure that their facilities are operating according to the requirements of their environmental permit. MEPA cannot drive these operators out of business because it allows a black market economy to bolster. And this is not an issue of auditing, for MEPA audits permits issued only and these have none. So allowing such operations to sprout is adding insult to injury.

It is no small task but we are sure that with commitment, and the continued discussion and dissemination of information with stakeholders who have existing permits, MEPA Enforcement Directorate can stand up and be counted.

In order to help MEPA achieve this aim, GRTU strongly urges Government to set up the Monitoring Enforcement Committee in relation to Producer Responsibility as stated in its Budget document of 2011. The setting up of this Committee is already three years late. GRTU hopes this renewed call will now not fall on deaf ears. 

The supply of
electricity by Enemalta leaves much to be desired. The recent continuous power
cuts at Bisazza Street Sliema are once again a show of the shambolic state of
affairs at Enemalta. GRTU –  Malta Chamber of
Small and Medium Enterprises insists that business
cannot function when such an essential service as electricity cannot be
assured.

Enemalta is in
tatters unfortunately and it is time the Ministry of Finance, the Economy and
Investment took the bull by the horns. And once again it is a situation where
we need to make choices according to priorities. If having a constant supply of
electricity for our business community is not a priority then one wonders what
is? It is of no use stating that the backbone of the economy is built on SME's
and then SME's lack the most essential of commodities, electricity.

The business
community will assess the losses due to these power cuts and will claim from Enemalta. Enemalta should stand up and be
counted. Each business in Bisazza Street or anywhere else and Enemalta have a
contractual obligation with one another, Enemalta to supply electricity and the
other to pay for that service. Whilst the business community pays for the
service from the nose, Enemalta does not shoulder and honor its obligation.

Enemalta is shoddy, shambolic, and operate under crisis
management, keeping their fingers crossed that by tomorrow, either the heat
wave goes away, or else they have thought of another silly excuse which no
longer holds water.

Reducing oil consumption whilst improving product quality
and efficiency – The
Commercial Need and or Opportunity : Lubrication (lube) oils are an
essential part of engineering systems with moving parts. These oils act to
separate the moving parts to reduce friction and fatigue as well as reducing
heat generation, operating noise and vibration.

They are used for a range of
applications including: Steel production, motor oil (cars, trains, and buses),
gear boxes, turbines, hydraulic oils and electrical power transformers. The
overall system is strongly influenced by the condition of the lubrication, this
in turn affects the cost through system efficiencies and maintenance costs.

However, lube oils are prone to
degradation through the accumulation of wear particles and physical
degradation
due to oxidation aging. Oxidation is caused by a combination of oxygen
and
heat. The rate of oxidation is strongly affected by the presence of
contaminants such as fines and polar oxidation products (such as soaps
and
acids) that act as oxidation catalysts. If these catalysts can be
decreased or
eliminate, then this significantly reduces the oxidation rate. A number
of
methods for cleaning of lube oils have been applied including:
Filtration,
Separation and electrostatic filters which remove large contaminant
particles.
However, none of these methods can remove contaminant particles that are
<1μm – It is these small particles (with relatively large
surface area) that strongly affect the rate of oxidation aging.

The
Proposed Technological Solution

The project is based on an innovative
in-line oil cleaning technology that uses liquid/liquid based on a ‘separation
booster' (a chemical composition) combined with mechanical separation. This is
a radical step beyond current technologies in that it removes contaminant
particles (including catalytic fines and polar oxidation products) down to very
small (nano-) size, much smaller than currently achievable. This approach will
enable the development of an in-line process that significantly reduces the
oxidation aging process, increasing oil lifetime and increasing system
efficiency. Combining this technology with advanced filters allows for removal
of contaminants of all sizes. The project has the potential to "close the loop
for lube oil" with a strong reduction in the oil consumption and related
environmental impacts. The specific project aims to overcome the limitations
relate to:

• Creation of separation booster
  chemicals for specific applications.

• Design and development of accurate
  dosing system for separation booster chemicals.

• Design and development of mixing
  system for immiscible separation boosters and oils.

• Design and development of in-line
  monitoring and control to optimise performance.

• To develop an integrated modular
  design for the system.

The system will be demonstrated
for up to 10 lubricating oils (from various applications) and validated on one
industry case-study process.

Potential
Impact for the Consortium members

To date the technology has been proven
on the laboratory scale and two 1st generation specialist bespoke units in the
engineering industry. The results to
date have shown up to 90% reduction in lube oil usage for industrial processes
as well as substantial productivity increases, reduced maintenance (and cost). The
validated case study we will develop in the project will clearly demonstrate
the technical and commercial advantages of this technology.

It is expected that the project will
generate up to €100 million business growth for its SMEs within a 5 year period
creating >100 jobs. All other markets for continuous lube oil cleaning will
also be exploited. The application of this technology to a wide range of
industrial and other sectors will represent a significant step-change in the
cost and performance of a range of sectors where the technology is applied.

They are looking for
EU SMEs to participate in sections:

• company that designs, manufactures and sells filtering
  technologies.

• company that designs, manufactures and sells accurate
  dosing / metering technologies.

• company that designs, manufactures and sells accurate
  mixing technologies.

• company that designs and integrates in-line measurement
  and control technologies for fluid flow applications.

Businesses wishing to explore business opportunities in
Algeria are incited to participate in a Trade and Investment Promotion
delegation between the 27^th
and 31^st October 2012. Closing date for applications is
Friday 7^th September 2012.

Promising areas of investment, trade and technology
commercialisation include:

Financial
and Professional Services

Food
& Beverage

Telecommunications
& ICT

Oil
& Gas

Education
& Training

Healthcare

Construction
& related services

Travel & Tourism

One-to-one meetings for participants will be set up and if
participating in the whole programme 60% of travel and accommodation for 1
representative per company will be refunded. Contact Abigail Mamo at GRTU if
interested.

Equinox Pharma Ltd is a
well-established entity since 1996, highly active in the Balkans and Eastern
Mediterranean countries. It operates in the sector of
Pharmaceuticals, Food Supplements and Concept Cosmetics other than OTC product
with a vertical positioning in the market and distribution (B2B-B2C).

With a smart and simple business model
they have earned a reputation of high performance and reliability, which are
based on our key strengths; Innovations, Quality, Partnership and dedicated
Customer Care Service. They aim to provide innovative, high quality products in
affordable prices to their customers. They possess the credentials to invest
and promote the brands and products with high standards and tangible
investments.

They are specifically interested in
export and distribution of their product range.

Innovation is the key to success in
today's business environment. It helps organisations to become more efficient
and effective. The world is changing very rapidly, creating new demands and
expectations. Innovation is a response to this overall change. If there are
much more rapid and unpredictable changes, then the importance of innovation within
this environment is really critical.

This is even so in any economic
scenario. The role of innovation within this context is crucial since the only
way that economies can grow at any reasonable and respectable level is through
innovation.

When we speak about innovation we are
not only talking about technology innovation, rather it is much broader as it
is possible to have commercial innovations where a business model is innovated
without making any technological developments. Innovation can be defined as the
development or procurement of a new or significantly improved product (good or
a service), process, marketing method or organisational method.

How can you
procure innovation?

Today, a good percentage of the
organisation's expenditure is devoted to procurement and each has its own set
of procurement procedures. Existing procurement structures can allow for
innovative procurement. All that is necessary is the willingness of the
organisation to be pro innovation and procure new technologies from external
innovators that address the particular needs of the organisation. Local SMEs
have the potential to produce innovative solutions but there is a need to
create and encourage a market for innovative procurement. In this regard the
organisation can be the first buyer or lead customer of such innovative
solutions.

In order to assist organisations the
Malta Council for Science and Technology has set-up the InnoPro working group
to assist such organisations to engage into innovative procurement. The aim is
to offer the necessary support in order to identifying the organisation's
innovation needs and the process involved in procuring it.

In collaboration with the Department of
Contracts, the InnoPro group will facilitate the procurement procedure involved
by finding which existing public procurement procedures should be used to
undertake innovative procurement according to the various needs of the
organisations.

Support
offered by the InnoPro Group

The aim of the InnoPro
Group is to offer the necessary support to identify the organisation's
innovation needs and the process involved to choose the best procurement
procedure which can be applied for the particular project. In addition the
following assistance will also be offered:

Run the procurement process for external technologists
to come up with new technologies as a solution to meet the WIBGI requirements

Guide the applicant on licensing of the IPRs whilst
ensuring that the contracting authority retains some of the rights in using the
technology. This guidance is particularly relevant when 3rd parties are
required to bid for the building and installation of the technology

In case a prototype proves to be successful, the new
product can be offered in response to future tenders along with conventional
technologies

Other
Benefits

The InnoPro group
believes that in addition to the benefits enjoyed by the organisation procuring
the innovative solution, the community at large can also benefit, since:

Technologists can apply their skills and expertise to
real market needs thereby increasing the chances of their technologies being
commercially successful

Commercialisation of the innovative solution can lead
to the creation of new local jobs as well as increase in the level of exports
and income generated from abroad

The general society would benefit from a better economy
since innovation is a strong tool which can make a difference. This will have
an eventual effect on society's quality of life

Success stories would be publicise in order to
encourage others to follow suit