Geopolitical shocks are exposing the fragility of global fertiliser supply chains. A surprising solution – and a major development opportunity – lies rotting in the fields. Worker at pineapple leaf decortication line at Mananasi Fibre, Nairobi, Kenya. Somewhere on the outskirts of Thika, Kenya, a pineapple leaf processing facility hums through its daily routine. Workers […]
The ninety-eight percent opportunity Read More »
Climate action is accelerating. Governments, businesses and investors are looking to circular economy models, cleaner production and green industries as part of the transition to a more sustainable future. But what kind of work is being created in this transition? At COP30, countries agreed to establish a Just Transition Mechanism. This has been welcomed as an opportunity
From climate ambition to decent work: what just transition means in practice Read More »
Oil price shocks reach far beyond the pump: into the plastic and synthetic fibres woven through global trade. Yet material substitutes, derived from agricultural residues and renewable biomass, already produced in developing countries, remain constrained by trade rules, standards and market access. © UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)/Maria Durleva | Plastic nurdles, small pellets made from fossil fuels or recycled plastics, used as the raw material
A SMEP-funded pilot project in Bangladesh is combining wastewater treatment technology with an innovative financing model to address one of the textile industry’s most pressing environmental challenges: water pollution. A short technical webinar was hosted earlier in February 2026 by the project team to present pilot outcomes to industry stakeholders. The Technical Breakthrough The project, led by Solidaridad Network Asia and QStone Capital BV, has deployed a modular 5m3/hr pilot plant, designed by Lenntech Water Solutions (the project’s Technical Solution,
Innovative Water Recycling Project Tackles Bangladesh’s Textile Industry Pollution Read More »
The SMEP-funded project, the Green Tannery Initiative, has demonstrated that Ethiopia’s leather industry can convert its solid waste into high-value organic fertiliser – creating a profitable and sustainable circular economy model – by piloting enzymatic unhairing and solid waste valorisation technologies. Ethiopia is globally recognised for its superior leather quality, particularly that of highland sheep,
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
Raw potential: How Africa is recasting industrial power beyond plastics Read More »
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
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
From Evidence to Impact: SMEP’s footprint on the Global Plastics Treaty Read More »