Plastic pollution presents a growing environmental and economic challenge across the East African Community (EAC), degrading ecosystems, contaminating water bodies, and imposing rising costs on public waste management systems. Recently, in the context of the Hormuz Strait conflict, prices of plastic items have increased significantly, threatening affordability and food security in Africa. While several EAC Partner States have adopted national bans and restrictions on single-use plastics (SUPs), fragmented regulatory approaches and uneven enforcement have significantly undermined their effectiveness, particularly in the context of porous borders and cross-border trade.

In response to these challenges, EAC policymakers have proposed a harmonised regional framework; the East African Community Prohibition of Manufacturing, Importation, Use and Sale of Single Use Plastics Bill, 2026 (EAC SUP Bill). The Bill establishes a common list of prohibited SUP products under Part II, Section 4, and introduces penalties aimed at curbing production, importation, sale, and use across the region.

Drawing on trade data on plastics and non-plastic substitutes within and beyond the EAC, this Policy Brief, authored by ALN Kenya and the Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution (SMEP) Programme with contributions from UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), argues that the EAC SUP Bill represents not only an essential environmental intervention, but also a strategic trade and industrial policy opportunity for employment and supply security of materials in East Africa. The region’s current dependence on imported plastics, and increasingly on imported substitutes, exposes structural gaps in regional manufacturing, recycling capacity, and value addition. At the same time, growing trade in sustainable alternatives signals untapped potential for local production, job creation, and innovation.