In line with UNDP’s Zero Waste Offer, a global zero waste project, Shifting to Zero Waste Against Pollution (SWAP), was approved by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in 2024 with a grant of US$29 million. The SWAP initiative aims to reduce chemical pollution in the key value chains and reduce the waste of resources, by supporting pilot cities to practice sustainable production and consumption towards a zero-waste vision in line with green chemistry, circular economy, and waste hierarchy principles.

While global in nature, the comprehensive approach will be implemented in five cities in five regions: Freetown (Sierra Leone), Kocaeli (Türkiye), Montevideo (Uruguay), Tunis (Tunisia) and Tianjin (China). The project will begin implementation in 2025.