Story | 24 Feb, 2021

Circular Economy, a focus on UNEA5, is key to stopping marine plastic pollution – five small-scale initiatives in Africa and Asia are creating positive change

Our world and our ocean are awash in plastic waste. Reducing plastic consumption, increasing recycling and reuse of plastic products into a circular economy – including promoting the economic value of plastics, and support for research and innovation to develop new products to replace single-use plastics are necessary steps to close the plastic tap. UNEA5 is focusing on circular economy as a means toward sustainable development. As stated by Mr. Sveinung Rotevatn of Norway, President of UNEA-5, “UNEA has an important role in catalysing action on the circular economy.” The IUCN Global Marine and Polar Programme through its Close the Plastic Tap projects, have put into action several projects in Africa and Asia which are already creating positive change.

 

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Photo: WMA

As part of the Marine Plastics and Coastal Communities (MARPLASTICCs) project, IUCN supported existing, small-scale circular economy initiatives that are actively reducing the amount of plastic waste leaking into the marine environment. Circular Economy looks beyond the current take-make-dispose model, it redefines growth, focusing on positive society-wide benefits, and ideally, should be inclusive. It entails gradually decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources, and designing waste out of the system. Underpinned by a transition to renewable energy resources, the circular model builds economic, natural, and social capital.

Successful small-scale circular economy initiatives that encourage local engagement are the focus of the MARPLASTICCs project in Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Thailand and Viet Nam. These initiatives are inclusive of the communities where they are based, are a strong starting point to real circularity helping to close the gap between consumers and producers by utilising the plastic waste to generate livelihoods and prevent marine plastic pollution.  Supporting an economy that values after-use plastics may trigger improved waste management systems and it may subsequently encourage a complete redesign of plastic products and materials with a view to increasing their end-of-life value (UNEP, 2016).

Implemented in the local context and engaging communities, these five initiatives play a role in filling the social equity gap currently prevailing in the Circular Economy. In Kenya, the Kilifi County Circular Economy Enterprises initiative is implemented by EcoWorld Recycling, an initiative of Watamu Marine Association. 3R manages the 3R Ecopoint Network project in Vilanculos, Mozambique and the WILDTRUST runs the Blue Port Project in the Durban Port in South Africa. The circular economy projects in Asia focus on giving value to plastics and in turn, reduce plastic waste in VIet Nam, and in Thailand, engaging the indigenous community, the Moken people, as Guardians of the Sea: Safeguarding the Ocean from Plastics. For an overview of the successes to date of the circular economy projects in Africa, please see the three infographics here: Kenya, Mozambique, and South Africa

Achieving the UNEA5 and SDG goals, and creating a circular plastic economy, requires action from all players in the plastic value chain, from the plastics industry, to consumers, waste management actors and recyclers. It must be inclusive of communities, too, in order to be successful. Solutions are numerous, and range from upstream prevention of plastic waste, such as the introduction of national policies on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and bottle deposit schemes, to downstream actions like beach clean-ups and recycling eco-points to prevent waste. 

IUCN has developed a framework to include communities in circular economy efforts. Whilst CE certainly requires strategies to improve business circularity, the participation and engagement of local citizens may play an equal role in other stages of the plastic cycle. Coastal communities are amongst the first affected by marine plastic pollution. Directly impacted by the waste landing on their beaches, coastal citizens have a real incentive to act. Engaging them in CE projects not only provides them a source of livelihood, it may also increase their awareness and knowledge of plastic pollution in the long-term, whilst contributing to improved local waste management practices.

Circular Economy GraphPhoto: IUCN

Despite the growing emergence of community-based initiatives in the circular plastic economy, methodologies suited to evaluate their circularity are lacking. Most CE frameworks focus on the business perspective and fail to address the entire plastic cycle. This perspective has led to the design of a framework to recognise and evaluate community-based initiatives in the context of the circular plastic economy. Following a more inclusive approach to CE, the framework values the contribution of all stakeholders throughout the plastic cycle.

 

 

About MARPLASTICCS

In 2017, with generous support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), IUCN launched the Marine Plastics and Coastal Communities initiative (MARPLASTICCs), an initiative in Africa and Asia that works in five countries: Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The project consists of four pillars: capacity building through circular economy projects, production of knowledge products – including the national guidance and reports on plastic pollution hotspotting, economic and regulatory policy analysis in each country, and connecting with the private sector with a business component to help businesses identify plastic leakage in their value chains.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.iucn.org/theme/marine-and-polar/our-work/close-plastic-tap-programme/marplasticcs    

Supported by Sida

SIDA LOGOPhoto: SIDA

 

 

 

About Marine Litter in the UN Environmental Assembly and UNEA5

The United Nations Environment Assembly is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment, with a universal membership of all 193 Member States. UNEA 5 takes place 22-26 February 2021 in Nairobi, Kenya. The ad hoc open-ended expert group on marine litter and microplastics was established at the third session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) in response to UNEP/EA.3/Res.7 Marine Litter and Microplastics. At the fourth session of UNEA the mandate of the expert group was extended, pursuant to operative paragraph 7 of resolution UNEP/EA.4/Res.6 Marine plastic litter and microplastics.