Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution Programme

Waste

SMEP grantees make their mark at the 3rd Africa Waste is Wealth Summit

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The third edition of the Africa Waste is Wealth Summit (AWWS III), held in June 2026, brought together a broad cross-section of stakeholders from across Africa – government agencies, private sector actors, UN bodies, financiers, researchers, and innovators – united by a common agenda: transforming waste from a problem into an economic and environmental opportunity. […]

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Used Textiles in Practice: Trade, Impacts and Development Pathways

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Event Details Date: 23 June 2026Time: 18:30-19:30 CESTVenue: Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG), Switzerland International trade in used textiles plays an important role in supporting textile circularity by extending the life of garments, reducing pressure on disposal systems, and supplying affordable clothing to consumers in many developing countries. At the same time, concerns about textile

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Making Plastics Recovery Work: Viability, Traceability and Transition Pathways

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A three-part online webinar series on plastics end-of-life systems in Sub-Saharan Africa Session 1: Making plastics recovery models viableThursday 7 May 2026  Session 2: Traceability, standards and regulatory alignmentWednesday 13 May 2026  Session 3: Substitutes, compostability and regional pathwaysWednesday 20 May 2026  All sessions start at 09:00 UTC / 10:00 WAT / 11:00 CAT /

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The Green Tannery Initiative: Towards positioning Ethiopia’s leather sector in the global arena

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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,

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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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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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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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