Background

Local communities often bear the brunt of plastic pollution. At the same time, they are also uniquely positioned to drive innovation and behaviour change through grassroots action.

To harness this potential and pilot community-driven solutions that address plastic pollution at the source, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) launched the Plastic Innovation Programme. The initiative focused on promoting sustainable ecological alternatives, reducing single-use plastics, and strengthening local capacity to influence policies and practices that enable a circular economy transition.

Project overview

Countries: Burkina Faso, China, Dominican Republic, Eswatini, Ghana, Jamaica, Maldives, Mauritius, Moldova, Nepal, Nigeria, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Viet Nam

Donor: Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP)

Implementing agency: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Implementing partners: Various local partners, including universities, civil society organisations, and non-governmental organisations

Project duration: October 2021 – September 2024

Total budget: $ 6,000,000 (including co-financing) 

Project objectives

The programme aims to pilot and test sustainable ecological alternatives to plastics and strengthen the enabling environment for local circular economy action. Its objectives are to:

• Pilot and test innovative community-led solutions that reduce plastic pollution through sustainable production and consumption practices.

• Support policy development, raise awareness, and build capacity to foster behaviour change and encourage adoption of circular economy models at local and national levels.

Under this programme, SGP has provided 54 small and strategic grants to community-based organisations and innovators across 15 pilot countries. These projects span five key areas of action:

• Baseline assessments and mapping: Identifying plastic pollution hotspots and key sources of leakage.

• Awareness raising and advocacy: Educating communities and influencing consumer and producer behaviour.

• Policy support and strategy development: Assisting municipalities and national authorities to design plastic management strategies and action plans.

• Manufacturing and innovation: Supporting the development of sustainable materials, alternatives, and circular business models.

• Capacity building: Strengthening the technical and institutional capacity of communities, small enterprises, and local governments to implement and sustain solutions.