Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution Programme

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Sustainability must be built from the bottom up: A showcase of Reverse Resources

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Traceability enables textile manufacturing and recycling companies to be more transparent and to visualise recycling practices for more accountability. SMEP grantee Reverse Resources, expands the circulation of post-industrial textile waste (PIW) in Bangladesh and Pakistan using the Reverse Resources platform, which integrates digital tools, standardised processes, and business models to align and connect stakeholders in […]

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Raw potential: How Africa is recasting industrial power beyond plastics

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The future of Africa’s industrialisation may not lie in silicon chips or machine learning but in sustainable natural materials and regional cooperation. Across East and West Africa, governments are moving beyond extractive models and towards policies that fuse environmental resilience with industrial renewal. In Ghana, a national policy blueprint is steering the country’s economy towards

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Scaling sustainable natural fibres for a circular bioeconomy and industrial growth in East Africa

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Photo Credit: Maria Durleva. SMEP Programme Global textile systems are shifting in response to questions about the sustainability, sourcing, and environmental footprint of the fabrics we use. The textiles industry, valued at $1.6 trillion in 2023, is projected to reach $3.3 trillion in 2030, contributes to 2-8% of global greenhouse gas emissions and consumes about

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Circular bioeconomy and closed-loop circular solutions

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While the specific figures on the contribution of organic waste to the Republic of Kenya’s gross domestic product (GDP) are not available, the economic potential of this waste is locally and regionally recognised and is growing. Large volumes of organic waste stem from agriculture, food and beverage industries, households, and commercial sources. In Nairobi, organics

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Innovation beyond high-tech: Traceability for resilience and fair trade in the Global South

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As commodity‑reliant economies face growing demand for environmental and labour accountability, SMEs are combining traditional practices with adapted traceability solutions that fit local realities, helping them meet global trade rules, strengthen market access and protect livelihoods. At a tannery in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian and Indian project researchers are testing enzyme-based methods to replace harmful chemicals

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SMEP’s Textiles Wastewater Management pilot in Bangladesh shows significant potential in greenhouse gas emissions reductions and water savings

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A SMEP research brief, led by Atiq Zaman, Ruan Parrott and Henrique Pacini, examines how treating and recovering wastewater from a textile mill can yield significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions. The brief is based on a SMEP-funded pilot project led by a consortium made up of two technology providers (Panta Rei Water Solutions and

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From Evidence to Impact: SMEP’s footprint on the Global Plastics Treaty

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With mounting evidence of the pervasive nature of the plastics pollution crisis, to the extent that micro-plastic is now found in Arctic ice and human bloodstreams, and global production exceeding 460 million tonnes per year, incremental solutions are no longer enough. The upcoming resumed session of the 5th round of negotiations for the Global Plastics

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From Geneva to Nice and back: SMEP’s circular route to ocean action

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A new global coalition for seaweed has been announced at the 3rd UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) on 13 June 2025 marking a milestone for ocean and climate resilience, pollution mitigation and equitable and sustainable trade. Echoing the call by UN Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD’s) Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan to promote stronger governance of the ocean economy

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