Jérôme has been leading Darlink for four years now. His company offers a range of equipment and products tailored to the needs of Moroccan companies adopting environmental policies. Passionate about ecological issues, this expatriate in Morocco has decided to make it his career and contribute to the efforts in a country where there is still much to be done. His approach? Stay pragmatic in the face of environmental challenges, starting from the premise « if offering the best isn't possible, at least avoid the worst ». Far from being idealistic, his vision of the situation in Morocco is realistic and his solutions are well-adapted: for him, it's about proposing « local solutions to local problems » and not prescribing « European » ways of thinking, but adapting them to the country in question. The basis is above all being critical of oneself and the impacts of one's lifestyle, to propose concrete solutions to ecological problems at a local, national, and even global level.
Communicate to raise awareness
Driven by his desire to propose environmental improvements in Morocco, his company, in collaboration with the Urban Community of Marrakech, and the companies ADS Tourism and Pizzorno Environment, launched this year, after three years of efforts, the pilot project for selective sorting. The idea is to gradually raise awareness among citizens about waste sorting in the red city; favoring a communication strategy over outcomes. For the launch of the campaign, more than 200 posters were distributed in Medina, 1500 emails were sent, and numerous city structures were provided with informative flyers about this initiative. Jérôme explains: « Our goal is to progress step by step towards an environmental upgrade of the developing country that Morocco represents. » In September, Pizzorno, ADS Tourism, and Darlink will launch a second publicity campaign, including radio spots, to underscore the importance of their initiative in Marrakech.
The main goal of these companies? « Be able to have waste collection sorted at the source ». To achieve this, they primarily target individuals and small structures, while the company « Progress » (Economic Interest Group) already handles sorting for larger entities (hotels, etc.). When asked about the main challenges faced with this project, Jérôme mentions the problem of ragpickers (who sort through trash to resell certain items to wholesalers) and also the securing of containers set up as part of this pilot project. That's partly why, for now, only two drop-off points exist, at Bab Kechich and Riad Laarouss.
Nothing is lost, nothing is created...
Although this initiative may not seem large-scale, it is faithful to the ideology of those who initiated it: « Trying to make things evolve at one's own scale, bit by bit ». For 2012, Jérôme explains that other drop-off points will be established and numerous projects are already planned, especially regarding the recycling of plastic bags, used batteries, and even light bulbs. He is brimming with innovative ideas: recycling paper and donating it to schools for paper mache creations, or proposing various raw materials to local artisans for their creations (bags using bottle caps, small cars made with tin cans, etc.). He also invites them to contact him if they are interested in this idea. For Jérôme, the concept « nothing is lost, nothing is created: everything is transformed » truly resonates here.
Morocco is now implementing an environmental improvement policy and has become the African leader in ecology. But while significant improvements at a national scale have been made in recent years (particularly through the initiatives launched by the « Mohamed VI » Foundation for the Environment), much progress remains to be made. For Jérôme, the possibilities are vast, but they require thorough education of Moroccans about environmental issues. For him, there's no question of proposing a “ ludicrous project•, but rather of starting from a dark spot, to fix the problem and reap the benefits of the initiative put in place. With his selective sorting project, this environmental enthusiast is taking a first step in this direction, and is already dreaming of tomorrow's Morocco, as green as its star.
Email: recyclagemarrakech@gmail.com
Tel : 06 46 88 65 51 - 06 46 88 65 52
Darlink store: 6 Rue des Vieux Marrakchis, Marrakech
Elisa F.