In an era where environmental and economic challenges intersect, the TESSA Project (Energy Transition, Sustainable Inclusive Economic Growth in Lebanon.), implemented by ICU in partnership with Enea, Elis Innovation Hub, Fondation Diane, and Berytech, is empowering small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Lebanon to integrate green transformation and circular economy practices.
This forward-thinking initiative targets five key sectors – food processing, healthcare, hospitality, media, and manufacturing – addressing Lebanon’s sector-specific challenges through tailored support and capacity-building interventions. Through these strategic initiatives, Berytech is helping SMEs overcome barriers such as funding hurdles and outdated technologies, promoting long-term economic resilience and environmental sustainability.
Lebanon’s Green Business Landscape: Key Challenges
Lebanon’s green business landscape faces significant challenges that hinder sustainable growth. Many industries still lack sustainable practices due to limited knowledge and access to green expertise. Additionally, Lebanese SMEs struggle to adopt market-ready technologies for clean energy, waste reduction, and circular economy strategies, impeding innovation and scalability. Financial barriers, including limited access to green financing, present another challenge for businesses seeking to invest in green initiatives. Furthermore, weak or unclear regulatory frameworks complicate long-term planning, delaying the widespread adoption of green solutions.
To help address these challenges, Berytech connects TESSA project beneficiaries with key investment entities active in the country. In parallel, it supports companies in strengthening their investment readiness, providing the tools, guidance, and documentation needed to attract funding and accelerate the implementation of their circular and green initiatives.
Berytech’s Strategic Role in Strengthening Lebanon’s Green Ecosystem
Through its role in the TESSA program, Berytech has laid a strong foundation for green transformation in Lebanon, starting with capacity building and policy advocacy, and evolving into hands-on implementation of circular initiatives. The program supports SMEs in transitioning to sustainable business models by combining training with four types of targeted technical assistance: financial, managerial, legal, and engineering support. This practical, end-to-end approach enables MSMEs to move beyond theory, translating the principles of circularity into tangible, operational results.
Developing Green Business Plans
Berytech supports SMEs in designing actionable strategies grounded in circular economy principles, redefining waste, optimizing resource use, and extending product life cycles to achieve long-term sustainability.
Skills Development
Businesses benefit from intensive training programs, hands-on workshops, and personalized clinics that help build internal capabilities in sustainable practices, preparing them to lead their own transformation.
Capacity Building
In addition to technical knowledge, Berytech provides legal, managerial, and operational coaching to ensure sustainability is structurally embedded within the organization, reinforcing resilience and scalability.
Regulatory Support
Berytech also plays an advocacy role, promoting policy reforms that foster a regulatory environment conducive to green innovation.
Project Implementation
The most significant impact of TESSA has come through real-world applications. Nine selected companies are currently receiving tailored support across legal, financial, managerial, and technical areas to implement circular and energy-efficient projects. These are not pilot concepts, they are operational initiatives that serve as proof points for the viability and impact of circular economy models in Lebanon.
Sector-Specific Interventions
Berytech’s work under TESSA spans several key sectors, addressing their distinct challenges through sustainability-focused interventions:
Advancing Clean Tech and Renewable Energy
Berytech fosters the development of scalable clean technologies by equipping SMEs with both the technical expertise and the strategic support needed to innovate and grow sustainably.
Promoting Sustainability Across Key Sectors
In industries such as food processing, healthcare, hospitality, media, and manufacturing, Berytech helps businesses integrate efficient, eco-friendly practices that align with national and global sustainability goals.
Facilitating the Circular Economy
From recycling and upcycling to waste reduction and material recovery, Berytech empowers companies to embed circular practices across their operations—supporting Lebanon’s broader transition to a resource-efficient economy.
Impact Beyond TESSA: Building a Resilient Green Economy
TESSA is more than just a project; it is a catalyst for long-term change. The tools, skills, and networks developed through the program will outlast its timeline, embedding sustainability at the core of Lebanon’s SME landscape.
Ongoing Initiatives
Beyond direct beneficiaries, Berytech actively leverages the skills, expertise, and scale of participating companies to amplify the program’s impact across its broader network of MSMEs. By showcasing the success and learnings of these leading firms, Berytech enables smaller or less mature businesses to adopt proven sustainable and circular practices. These high-performing companies also take on a mentoring role, sharing knowledge, offering practical advice, and helping others avoid common pitfalls, reduce implementation costs, and accelerate their own transition. Through this collaborative model, Berytech fosters a ripple effect of environmental and economic change throughout Lebanon’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Berytech envisions a resilient green economy where Lebanese enterprises are empowered to thrive sustainably, generate jobs, reduce waste, and safeguard the environment for future generations.
The TESSA Project demonstrates the power of strategic vision paired with sector-specific action, laying the groundwork for a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient Lebanese economy. In an era of uncertainty, TESSA provides a roadmap to a greener, more hopeful future.
