Business innovation and growth decisions need B2B partnerships and multi-stakeholder relationships to increase capacity, efficiency, and ease of implementation. In this regard, SIB-K has been a major enabler of Public-Private Partnerships within KEPSA, providing critical opportunities to draw linkages among various stakeholders in the public and private sectors to speed up the transition to a sustainable economy.

“Our Sustainability Pillar has guided us in championing the adoption of green and blue economy principles. SIB-K contributes to the transition to a circular economy, Kenya’s vision 2030, and the Sustainable Development Goals. Through initiatives such as Creating Opportunities and Alleviating Poverty Through Sustainable Trade (COAST Project), we are not only creating awareness on waste management but are also increasing the capacity of participants to develop business cases through mentorship sessions,” noted KEPSA Deputy CEO Foundation, Martha Cheruto.

Sustainable Inclusive Business is also harnessing local entrepreneurs’ skills; enhancing their access to financing and creating sustainable infrastructure to help them start micro and small businesses. These efforts are aimed at creating a sustainable income even in the informal sectors for inclusive growth. Ms. Cheruto emphasized the “need for political goodwill for the success of adopting a circular economy and the stability of businesses post-election. Through SIB-K, we will continue to contribute to advancing SDGs that empower people, protect the planet, foster prosperity for all, and develop sustainable quality infrastructure. This will, in turn, promote trade and investments in a circular economy”.

Gracing the launch, Dr. Ayub Macharia, the Director of Environmental Education Awareness at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry said, “We're refocusing on the waste management approach, giving more priority on reducing, reusing, and recycling as the last option. For industries, it means rethinking product designs that are reusable and recyclable. The private sector has done a commendable job spearheading this transition, and the government has been there to ensure a level playing field for all.”

“It has been exciting witnessing the message on circular economy go out strongly and being received positively by the business community. The Embassy of the Netherlands will continue supporting Sustainable Inclusive Business under KEPSA, in implementing initiatives that improve Kenya’s ease of doing business sustainably, ranking in line with our commitment to make trade the linchpin of our engagement going forward.” H.E. Maarten Brouwer, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Kenya was quoted in the Magazine.  

According to the organization’s Program Manager, Ebenezer Amadi, “As the circular economy in Kenya continues to gain interest among stakeholders, we expect more best practices among businesses and the public in 2022. We believe that continuous awareness creation and an enabling environment is key in gradually transitioning to a more sustainable circular economy.”

One of the gravest impacts of the linear economy has been the irresponsible disposal of plastics, especially single-use, on the environment. Unsightly landfills and litter in parks and even beaches continuously choke our environment. 79% of plastic waste ever produced globally now sits in landfills, dumps, or the environment, while 12% has been incinerated and only 9% has been recycled globally. Today, published data shows that only 8% of plastic is recycled in Kenya.

On her remarks, the Deputy head- Policy Research and Advocacy, Manufacturing Sectors and Legal lead at the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) Miriam Bomett, “KAM in its role in the manufacturing sector has prioritized environmental issues including the adoption of circular practices by most of our members, and the launch of the Kenya Plastics Action Plan, aimed at ensuring the environmentally sustainable use and recycling of plastics by applying the principles of a circular economy in Kenya. There has been a significant shift in the past five years, and the more players are involved, the faster the achievement of a circular economy will be.”

SIB-K also launched the Kenya Plastics Pact in October 2021, an ambitious, collaborative initiative that aims to ensure that plastics never become waste by eliminating the plastics we don’t need, innovating to ensure that the plastics we do need are reusable or recyclable, and circulating all the plastic packaging items we use to keep them in the economy and out of the environment. The Pact focuses on addressing the barriers to circularity in the plastic packaging sector through public-private collaborations and uniting the sector behind an ambitious set of targets adapted to the local reality.

The establishment of such key initiatives and the Extended Producer Responsibility, will particularly go a long way to create a system that accelerates the adoption of circular economy practices and positions Kenya to be a thought and conversational leader in the circular economy space. This will be achieved through stimulating industry-led innovation, dialogue, and collaboration to create new business models, generate job opportunities, and unlock barriers to move towards the circular economy, with improved economic, environmental, and societal outcomes overall.