On 8 June, the UN World Oceans Day invites us to “marvel at a realm that sustains half the planet’s oxygen, cradles most biodiversity and feeds over a billion people”. Yet by 2025, as countries convene for the third time at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France, the seas remain choked with […]
The SMEP Programme is proud to share a milestone in our mission to support innovation in manufacturing value chains and circularity. One of our grantee projects, Uganda-based BANATEX – EA took to centre stage at the 2025 Massmart Growth Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa on 2nd April 2025. The event brought together over 300 businesses
The SMEP Programme may seem like a cohort of loosely linked projects tackling pollution, but altogether, these projects are contributing evidence to the plastics policy landscape.
SMEP’s role in the Plastics Policy Landscape Read More »
Good management of organic residues, a renewable resource, is often overlooked but constitutes a powerful tool to improve livelihoods and tackle plastic pollution. In Kenya, SMEP-supported organic waste projects are showcasing how circular economy principles can benefit communities. By transforming organic residues into valuable products, these initiatives create jobs, empower marginalised groups, and promote sustainable practices.
Organic residues: A sustainable solution to plastic pollution and development Read More »
A Kenya-based entrepreneurial partnership between TakaTaka Solutions and Chanzi Ltd – who launched a business model in response to the SMEP Programme grant funding opportunity – has contributed to the scaling of an impactful waste management business model from Kenya into Tanzania.
LAST WEEK, the UN Environment Assembly agreed on a new resolution on plastic pollution, which establishes a process towards a legally binding agreement by 2024. This is an opportunity for the private sector and governments to act firmly and decisively to tackle the plastics crisis. Matching this momentum, Blue Skies, an award-winning fresh produce company, and Waitrose
New Fresh Produce Impact Hub to Find Innovative Solutions to Plastics Pollution Read More »
Summary: The Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution (SMEP) Programme has provided funding towards critical solutions to address plastic waste through the Flipflopi Project. On the 19th February 2022, the project launched a baseline study to map the impacts of marine litter in the Lamu Archipelago in the Western Indian Ocean. The research-based community outreach programme will
The FlipFlopi Project is Combating Marine Plastic in the Indian Ocean Read More »
UK Aid is providing up to £5 million for research and development on tackling plastics pollution in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. This is part of the five-year Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution (SMEP) programme (2019-2024), implemented in partnership with the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which supports innovative solutions to prevent manufacturing and plastics pollution from
UK Aid Partnering With UNCTAD To Tackle Plastics Pollution Read More »