Plastic waste is a rising problem for Sri Lanka’s meals sector, but necessary gaps stay in understanding the place and the way single-use plastics are used, how they transfer via meals worth chains, and the place interventions might have the best impression.
Via the European Union-funded CIRCULAR venture, new analysis will assist deal with these gaps by producing proof to tell coverage, enterprise practices and extra sustainable decisions. Three analysis grants totalling €110,000 will assist university-led research by analysis groups from the School of Agriculture on the College of Ruhuna, and the School of Drugs and School of Computing on the College of Kelaniya.
Collectively, the research will study the use, circulation and impacts of single-use plastics (SUPs) throughout chosen meals and beverage worth chains within the Colombo and Galle Districts. The analysis can even search to establish sensible alternatives to cut back plastic use, promote extra sustainable alternate options and strengthen round financial system practices.
At current, obtainable knowledge on plastic waste in Sri Lanka, notably single-use plastics, don’t present adequate element on the sectors, sources and sorts of plastics concerned. This limits the flexibility of policymakers, companies and different stakeholders to pinpoint the place plastic use may be decreased most successfully and to evaluate which interventions might ship the best impression. The brand new analysis will assist present a extra detailed understanding of those patterns, supporting extra focused and evidence-based motion.
The three analysis groups will use a mixture of information assortment, waste-flow mapping, environmental and public well being assessments, and life-cycle approaches to look at these challenges from totally different views. The findings are anticipated to assist establish alternatives to cut back plastic use, enhance useful resource effectivity and promote extra sustainable packaging and waste administration practices.
“Via our analysis grant programme, we purpose to generate proof that may contribute to raised coverage, planning and decision-making, whereas additionally strengthening collaboration between researchers, policymakers and practitioners” mentioned Mr. Mahmoud Gaballah, CIRCULAR Venture Supervisor at Experience France, talking on the grant signing ceremony on the College of Ruhuna.
The analysis grants are a part of the CIRCULAR venture’s broader efforts to assist Sri Lanka’s transition in direction of extra sustainable manufacturing and consumption within the meals sector. Alongside analysis and proof era, the venture works to boost consciousness, encourage behaviour change and assist approaches that transfer away from the standard “take, make and dispose” mannequin in direction of a extra round financial system.
Round Economic system within the Meals Sector (CIRCULAR) venture is a three-year initiative centered on decreasing meals loss and meals waste (FLW) and Single-use plastic (SUP) waste within the Meals Sector in Sri Lanka. Funded by the European Union and partially co-funded by the German Federal Ministry for Financial Cooperation and Improvement (BMZ), the venture is collectively carried out by Experience France (EF), the Meals and Agriculture Group (FAO) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
By strengthening the proof base on single-use plastics, the analysis is predicted to supply a stronger basis for sensible motion, serving to decision-makers, companies and different stakeholders higher perceive the place change is required and the way extra sustainable options may be put into apply.
