LocationsLocal innovations empower a future free of plastic pollution
From ripples to waves
June 4, 2025
Project Bumbi produces high-quality reusable cloth diapers that offer families an eco-friendly, affordable alternative to single-use plastics.
Photo: Bumbi
At the supermarket, one is immediately drawn to the vibrant displays of colourful products that are wrapped in excessive plastic packaging—gleaming wrappers, clamshell containers, and shrink-wrapped produce all competing for attention. Each item is encased in layers of plastic, starkly contrasting with the fresh, natural ingredients that nature offers. The supermarket, a realm of endless choices, becomes a poignant reminder of the unsustainable path we are on, prompting us to re-evaluate our habits and the true cost of convenience.
Plastic pollution is a global crisis, but impacts are manifested locally in daily life. The use of plastics is so diverse—ranging from packaging and textiles to sanitation and construction—that no universal solution can address all forms of use and disposal. Many communities around the world have lived sustainably for generations, relying on locally available materials and circular practices long before plastic became widespread. These communities possess deep knowledge, cultural traditions, and practical skills that can be revived and adapted to create locally appropriate alternatives. Harnessing this local intelligence is essential to lasting solutions.
UNDP has made a concerted effort to identify and support local ideas through initiatives such as the Global Plastics Innovation Program. UNDP aims to elevate the work of local changemakers, amplify their impact, and inspire others. I want to share three examples that I find both powerful and motivating:
Removing taboos and waste
In India, menstruation is often surrounded by stigma and silence, with limited access to hygienic products and education. At the same time, disposable menstrual products—made mostly of plastic—contribute significantly to long-term pollution. An initiative led by young women set out to tackle menstrual hygiene with reusable cloth pads, menstrual health education and women-led distribution networks.
Project Baala trains rural women as menstrual health entrepreneurs, enabling them to earn an income while expanding awareness and access in underserved communities. It engages not just girls but also boys and men, helping dismantle taboos and fostering community-wide support. By treating menstruation as a matter of dignity, health, and sustainability, the project is advancing gender equality while slashing plastic waste.
Bumbi's reuseable diapers reduce plastic waste while empowering women and persons with disabilities through decentralized production hubs.
Photo: Bumbi
Reducing waste through circular design
Disposable diaper waste is a major contributor to plastic pollution in Indonesian rivers, and a grassroots initiative is changing the narrative through circular design. Bumbi produces high-quality reusable cloth diapers that offer families an eco-friendly, affordable alternative to single-use plastics.
Bumbi reduces plastic waste at the source while empowering women and persons with disabilities through decentralized production hubs. These local teams manufacture the diapers and work with health workers to promote sustainable infant care, building awareness and changing behaviour.
By integrating reuse, inclusion, and low-waste design, the organization is tackling one of the most overlooked yet widespread sources of plastic pollution. It demonstrates how locally led innovation can protect ecosystems, support livelihoods, and turn everyday choices into powerful acts of environmental stewardship.
A University of Mauritius project converts banana stems and coconut husks into plant pots, seedling trays and takeaway food containers.
Photo: UNDP Mauritius
Using agricultural byproducts
In Mauritius, a pioneering initiative led by the University of Mauritius is experimenting to reduce plastic pollution through agricultural waste. The project converts banana stems and coconut husks, which are usually discarded, into plant pots, seedling trays and takeaway food containers.
It not only provides eco-friendly alternatives to plastics but also empowers local communities. By training farmers, women, youth, and vulnerable groups in fibre extraction and product manufacturing, the project fosters entrepreneurship and promotes a circular economy. The initiative includes training in specialized machinery, boosting local skills.
Aligned with its ban on single-use plastics and its broader sustainability goals, this project exemplifies how local solutions can contribute to global efforts. It demonstrates the potential of community-driven innovation in creating a more sustainable and inclusive future.
The power of diverse solutions
While these grassroots innovations hold great promise, expanding them beyond their immediate communities often presents real challenges. Limited access to financing, policy barriers, lack of visibility, or difficulties in navigating formal markets can prevent small-scale solutions from growing. What works in one context may not in another, due to differences in culture, infrastructure, consumer behaviour, or environmental conditions.
And that’s okay.
Rather than searching for a single ‘silver bullet,’ we must embrace a mosaic of approaches. This diversity can be a strength and create aggregated large impact if critical mass is sustained with encouraging policies and market conditions. Each community brings its own knowledge, traditions, and ingenuity to the table.
UNDP has been supporting these innovators with financing, and networking. By connecting and learning from one another, locally grounded innovations can inform policy, shift markets, and ignite wider change. In this way, transformation happens not only from the top down, but also from the ground up—community by community.
Investing locally for the globe
To unlock the full potential of grassroots innovations, we must do more than celebrate them—we must support them. Local changemakers are already testing and designing solutions that work for their communities. What they often lack is sustained access to resources, partnerships, and flexible financing that would allow them to grow, adapt, and to inspire others.
It's important that governments, donors, investors, and development partners recognize the catalytic role of local innovation in addressing plastic pollution. By investing in these efforts—through grants, blended finance, capacity-building, and enabling policy frameworks—we can help foster solutions that are deeply rooted in place and powered by people.
These innovators are not waiting for change, they are already making it happen. With the right support, their local ripples can become global waves of transformation.
