UNIDO

UNIDO's approach to address the challenge of marine plastic litter focuses on supporting Member States to promote circular economy practices in industry and society through policy recommendations, strengthening capacity in industry, including technical cooperation and technology transfer, and awareness development.
 
Circular economy practices in the plastics value chain can aim at (i) designing out waste to retain plastics within the economy; (ii) regaining the value embodied in plastics that leaked out of the economy as waste; and (iii) continuing efforts for recovering plastics already in oceans, in particular in services, on beaches, ports and coastal waters to end global marine plastic litter.
 
Especially, in the product design stage, the following might be considered; a) scrutinizing the necessity of packaging altogether, including of plastics; b) selection of renewable, bio-degradable and compostable materials and additives that are not or less toxic for essential plastic packaging or single-use plastic products; c) designing for less material use to decrease waste generation; d) designing packaging and products that use a single or small number of polymers that are easy to separate during recycling.
 
Policy measures to incentivize circular economy practices in design could consist of supporting implementation of innovations in design of existing and new products, and support to innovations and start-ups, in particular, those related to new, biodegradable and compostable plastics. A number of initiatives could trigger both supply side motivation for circular product designs and preference for such products on the demand side, such as; (i) measures for creating markets for recycled plastics and improving markets for bio-based plastics; (ii) differentiated taxes on virgin and recycled plastics; (iii) introduction of standards for recycled content; and (iv) improving information on recycled content in products in combination with educational campaigns for consumers. Furthermore, support for the development of relevant infrastructure for collection and separation of waste streams and empowering local authorities with sufficient financial and technical resources could induce eco-design of products in order to ease recyclability. In developing countries, taking measures to include informal collection, separation and recycling operations and improving working conditions for the informal workforce could be one of the objectives to safeguard livelihoods and ensure a just transition.
 
For more information: UNIDO publication “Addressing the Challenges of Plastic Pollution, including in the Marine Environment, Using Circular Economy Methods”

■ National Government
■ Others Think Tanks and International NGOs
Name : Support to GACERE

The Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE) is an alliance of governments at global level, supported by stakeholders, willing to work together on and advocate for a global just circular economy transition and a more sustainable management of natural resources (material resources included), at the political level and in multilateral fora.
 
GACERE was launched in Nairobi in February 2021, in the margins of the first segment of the fifth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.1).
 
Bringing together governments and relevant networks and organizations, the Alliance aims to provide the global impetus for initiatives related to the circular economy transition, resource efficiency and sustainable consumption and production, building on efforts being deployed internationally.
 
More information can be found in the GACERE concept note, and on:
https://www.unido.org/gacere
https://www.unep.org/gacere
 
Report:
Design criteria to improve circularity in the plastic value chain
https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/unido-publications/2024-04/GACERE%20Policy%20Brief%20-%20Circular%20Design%20of%20Plastic%20Products_0.pdf

■ National Government ■ City Government ■ Business

This project supports Bangladesh in reducing plastic pollution by promoting sustainable plastics use and preventing marine litter through four core components: policy development, consumer awareness, industry engagement, and recycling sector development. It has contributed to national policy drafting (including EPR), organized over 30 cleanups and awareness campaigns, and delivered RECP and DfE training for industries. Capacity-building programs were conducted in Barishal and Narayanganj to strengthen local recycling systems. The project is also developing PlasticPath—a digital platform to map plastic flows and connect producers, recyclers, and communities—and is preparing to launch a national cleantech competition to drive innovation in plastic alternatives and recycling solutions.
 
For more information, please see https://compass.unido.org/projects/190230　

■ National Government ■ Business
■ Academia /Educational Institutions
 
Name :
Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST)
Ho Technical University – Host Institution for the Ghana Circular Economy Centre
The Or Foundation – Textiles Value Chain Lead
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources – Agriculture and Agro-Processing Value Chain Lead
University of Cape Coast, Directorate of Research Innovation and Consultancy – Plastics Value Chain Lead

• Establishing a Centre of Excellence for Circular Economy in Ghana and capacitating the GCEC with staff to operationalize and ensure long-term sustainability for the GCEC.

■ Capacity Development

• Technical Assistance provided to women and youth entrepreneurs, the informal sector and the private sector to scale circular business models, technologies and other circular innovations.

■ Finance

• Working with the financial sector to train financial institutions on circular economy financing.

■ Data and Knowledge Development

• Development of circular economy opportunity roadmaps to pinpoint circular technology and businesses that can scale through the provision of financial and technical assistance.

The "Ghana Circular Economy Centre" project will create a Circular Economy Centre that serves as the hub to enable an effective environment for the circular economy in Ghana, by bringing together actors to coordinate and mobilize support to scale up successful circular economy business and technology concepts. Working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, the Centre will assist Ghanaian organizations and small-scale entrepreneurs, to develop and deploy innovative circular economy-based solutions technology solutions in their businesses and social enterprises while generating environmentally sustainable employment in Ghana. It will also mobilize financing from various sources including the private sector for the commercialization of successful piloted technologies. Capacity building and training activities will specifically focus on the needs of women and youth to encourage their full participation in the circular economy. The Centre will ensure that workers within key industries, such as waste management, agro-processing, agriculture and plastics, and particularly the informal sector, can take advantage of new circular economy opportunities. Through policy briefs and advocacy materials, the Project will provide evidence to policymakers to enable a just transition to a circular economy in Ghana.
For more information, please see https://compass.unido.org/projects/210154　

The project aims to strengthen the national capacity of Ghana to transition to a circular economy framework that addresses plastic leakage into the country’s oceans and waterways, facilitates sustainable plastics management through operationalising the National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP-GPAP) and the National Plastic Management Policy (NPMP) and ultimately ends marine plastic pollution and reduces the unintentional emissions of POPs (u-POPs).
For more information, please see https://compass.unido.org/projects/190244

■ National Government ■ Business

The global “SWITCH to circular economy value chains” project aims to support enterprises within selected value chains to adopt circular economy practices. The project recognises that the application of circular economy practices requires coherent practices by all actors of the value chains, from SMEs to leading companies in the Global Value Chains. Close cooperation is required for multinational companies and suppliers in developing countries to meet their circularity goals. This “last mile” of working with their suppliers in the developing economies is difficult for multinationals in global value and supply-chains. However, at the same time a multinational company has sufficient influence and resources to encourage, assist and/or convince the private sector in a developing country to make the necessary changes to their practices to become more circular in order to keep acting as their supplier. The project will assist tier 1, 2 and, when feasible, tier 3 suppliers of EU Multi-National Companies (MNCs) to make the switch towards circularity: such suppliers face significant challenges (technical and financial) in adopting new circular economy practices and the project is aimed at supporting them in this process.

The overall objective of the project is to support “A just transition to an inclusive climate neutral and circular economy”, including to contribute to sustainable growth, low carbon and climate resilient development, decent jobs creation, and safer, healthier and pollution-free environment. The project will achieve this overall objective through three outcomes (specific objectives):
Outcome 1: Engagement established with EU-based MNCs to select high-quality pilots in selected Value Chains (Inception phase);
Outcome 2: Improved circularity (and competitiveness) amongst suppliers/businesses of supported value chains;
and Outcome 3: Improved policy uptake, business and investment climate for circular economy in target countries. The Project will contribute to multiple SDGs, especially SDGs 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 9 (Inclusive and sustainable Industrialization), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 13 (Climate Action).
 
For more information, please see https://compass.unido.org/projects/190161

■ National Government ■ Business

Under the larger GEF 8 Plastic Integrated Program, this child project will complement Morocco’s existing commitment to the systematic transition from the current linear economy model of plastics to a circular economy model. Primarily, it will support upstream solutions focused on changing materials used and exploring alternatives, an approach that aims at instigating a paradigm shift, whereby the new norm is the use of recycled plastic over virgin plastic. The impact of the importation of plastics will be tackled through the enforcement of stricter regulations with respect to single-use plastics and pollutants. The project will support the Moroccan plastics industry who are ready to comply, stimulating their engagement to anticipate the need for highly recyclable materials. Partnerships with existing UNIDO implemented projects in Morocco are expected to bring public-private, cross-sector, interagency collaborations, and additional innovative financing. The actions will extend along the whole value chain, through the creation of standards to tackle pollutants in food and beverage plastics. Policy instruments will be revised, starting with already existing measures and ongoing work on the national waste legislation, thus supporting policy coherence across varying government agencies and business sectors.
 
For more information, please see https://compass.unido.org/projects/230062.

■ National Government ■ Business ■ CSO

Circular solutions to plastic pollution in South Africa is a Child project of the GEF's Integrated Program of Circular solutions to plastic pollution. It will focus on upstream and midstream of plastic packaging value chains in the food and beverage sector.

 
The objective of this project is to reduce volumes of plastic waste generated and leaked into the environment through the implementation of strategic circular interventions upstream and midstream in the plastic packaging value chain in the food and beverage sector in South Africa.
 
The objective would be achieved through the following interventions:

• Component 1 – Enabling policy and regulatory environment to support the formulation and implementation of policy and regulation promoting the uptake of circular plastic packaging. The focus within this component will be on Extended Producer Responsibility as well as complimentary policy and regulation.
• Component 2 – Mobilising finance outcome is for financial institutions and government agencies to derisk and scale investment in circular plastic packaging. Outputs are the development of a Reporting Framework for companies and funding vehicles to support increased financial flows to circular plastic packaging.
• Component 3 – Promoting uptake of circular solutions in the food and beverage plastic packaging value chain outcome is for the adoption and scaled implementation of circular practices for plastic packaging placed on the market. This would be achieved through the development of implementation plans to eliminate problematic plastics, scale reuse models and inclusion of recycled content, reporting on usage of bioplastics and the facilitation of co-design workshops and pitch events to improve design for circularity.
• Component 4 – Knowledge management and communication outcome is improved knowledge sharing to support and embed the circular economy approach, agreed harmonized definitions, metrics and measurement methodologies resulting in improved transparency of data for coherent decision making. The outputs include the development of harmonized definitions, metrics and measurement methodologies and educational materials for government and industry.

It will aim at an overall reduction of plastic residual waste generation resulting in GHG emission mitigation across the plastic life cycle and POPs release to air from reduced burning of plastic waste.
 
Other benefits include healthier communities, an increase in job creation and skill levels relative to the baseline across genders. A gender transformative approach will be used within the project to address existing gender inequalities.
 
For more information, please see https://compass.unido.org/projects/230071

In order to reduce the amount of plastic leaking into the environment (including the marine environment) in South Africa, the project supported South Africa’s transition to more environmentally sustainable alternatives from conventional single-use plastics. Main activities were the development of an Action Plan to strengthen the local industry for the manufacturing of alternatives (including, but not limited to bioplastics) while ensuring environmental sustainability, and strengthening capacities for plastics recycling through waste picker integration.
 
For more information, please see https://compass.unido.org/projects/190110

This project conducted 2 study streams that merge into one at country levels on: 1. Identification of sustainable alternative materials to plastics, and innovative packaging and recycling technologies; and 2. Plastics value chain in the target countries and their regulatory frameworks. By running 2 study streams at the same time, the outcome would be linked to each other to identify the gaps between needs and supplies as well as opportunities and challenges in target countries. On the course of studies, consultation seminars and workshops will be organized which would work also for matchmaking purposes as well as awareness development towards reduction of marine plastic litter. To this end, the project contributed to provide an overview of available technology options matching with local contexts and needs in order to reduce the amount of virgin plastic usage in packaging and single-use products in the target African countries.
 
For more information, please see https://compass.unido.org/projects/190137

The project supports the initiative of the Government of Egypt to reduce plastic waste leaking into the environment, particularly by looking into product design stage of single-use plastic products including packaging based on circular economy practices. It promotes eco-design practices in industry and encourage to adopt greener material, products, and production process or greener technology as well as greener business models, with support of enabling policy, regulations or economic tools, while minimizing any adverse impact on the industry.
 
For more information, please see https://compass.unido.org/projects/190152

The project demonstrates the benefit of adopting circular economy practices and resource efficient production on plastic value chains, while contributing to reducing plastic waste leaking to the environment.
 
For more information, please see https://compass.unido.org/projects/210184

Under the GEF8 Integrated Programme on "circular solutions to plastics pollution', this joint UNEP (lead) UNIDO child project aims to operationalize and implement circular solutions to plastics pollution arising from food and beverage packaging in India.
 
For more information, please see https://compass.unido.org/projects/230080

This project will contribute to Fiji’s inclusive and sustainable growth through promotion of circular economy and resource efficiency practices for private sectors and mitigate impact of plastic pollution and climate change and contribute to implementation of the 20-Year National Development Plan of Fiji.
 
For more information, please see https://compass.unido.org/projects/240010

Circular Solution to Plastic Pollution in the Philippines is a child project under the GEF IP on Circular Solution to Plastic Pollution. The aim of the project is to create sustainable policy and resource efficient systems to address the plastic value chain in the Philippines.
 
For more information, please see https://compass.unido.org/projects/190137

The website for the Circular Solutions to Plastic Pollution Integrated Program, or Plastic Reboot, is still in an early stage of development, as the Program and its Child Projects was approved by the donor GEF only in December 2024.