Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution Programme

The Chequered Flag

Raw potential: How Africa is recasting industrial power beyond plastics

Leave a Comment / News post / By

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 »

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

Leave a Comment / Event / By

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

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

Circular bioeconomy and closed-loop circular solutions

Leave a Comment / Event / By

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

Circular bioeconomy and closed-loop circular solutions Read More »

An ocean of waste and opportunity: Rethinking marine pollution at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference

Leave a Comment / News post, Uncategorized / By

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

An ocean of waste and opportunity: Rethinking marine pollution at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference Read More »

Linear pressures, circular solutions: Making the case for integrated national bioeconomy policies

Leave a Comment / Showcase Story / By

Countries are ramping up sustainability plans, but too often, they are designed in isolation. A new UNCTAD SMEP Programme–Chatham House brief reveals that national circular economy and bioeconomy strategies, are rarely aligned, undermining efforts to use biological resources more sustainably and reduce pollution and waste. This gap is also negative for biodiversity goals and weakens

Linear pressures, circular solutions: Making the case for integrated national bioeconomy policies Read More »

Addressing potentials for Organic Waste in the Circular Economy

Leave a Comment / Event / By

Our technical delivery partner, UNCTAD, will be hosting a side-event to the World Circular Economy Forum 2025!   Opportunities for embedding the bio-economy into national circular economy plans 🗓 Date: 12 May 2025🕒 Time: 2:00 PM GMT -3⌛Duration: 3 hours📍 Venue: In person at Sala da Congregação, FEA-USP, São Paulo, Brazil, or join online. Registration Here Registration is mandatory

Addressing potentials for Organic Waste in the Circular Economy Read More »

Scroll to Top