KENYA ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS LAUNCHES BUSINESS PLAN
By Donald Kogai
Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM),
launched the Strategic Business Plan
for the establishment of a Plastic Producer
Responsibility Organization (PRO) in Kenya.
The PRO will drive collective Extended Producer
Responsibility (EPR) in the country, whereby a
producer’s responsibility for a product is
extended to the post-consumer stage of a
product’s life cycle, whilst turning plastic waste
into valuable resources.
The Strategic Plan sets out the direction of
KAM’s priorities in the waste value chain and a
key action in effecting the steps towards a
clean Kenya as industry moves from a linear to
circular economy.
Speaking during the launch, Netherlands
Ambassador to Kenya, Amb. Maarten Brouwer
said noted that plastic waste management in
Kenya is a daring move to the transition to a
circular economy.
“We need to value the role of private sector
towards accelerating circular economy in
Kenya. To support these efforts, governments
can give financial incentives, invest in research
and development and encourage innovation.
This shall encourage industries to be willing to
learn, explore an experiment with various
solutions that can be used to manage waste in
the environment,” said Ambassador Brouwer.
He added that sustainability is everybody’s role
to play and needs a holistic approach, noting,
“By making the collaborative spirit between
government and private sector feasible, we
shall secure the future of industry. The waste
management challenges we face can be
converted into new business opportunities by
rethinking materials and redesigning products.
This shall reduce operational and energy costs
for the manufacturing sector, through
sustainable production and consumption.”
Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Director
of Environmental Education and Awareness, Dr
Ayub Macharia reiterated government’s support
towards environmental conservation,
sustainability and circular economy, saying,
“We championed the development of the
framework of cooperation (FOC) between
industry and government to monitor the
progress of management of PET Consumer
Waste. We also supported the launch of the
Kenya Plastic Action Plan last year.”
He added that the formation of a PRO was
informed by the amount of waste in the
environment, hence the need to manage it by
working with private sector.
“The lack of an EPR scheme in the country led
to low waste collection. This is attributed to
inadequate infrastructure in the waste
management value chain. The strategic
business plan shall guide us in managing post-
consumer plastic waste in the country, hence
conserving our environment for future
generations.”
KAM Chair, Mr Mucai Kunyiha observed that the
local manufacturing sector is committed to and
is at the forefront of driving the establishment
of a circular economy, towards sustainably
managing waste, and conserving and restoring
our environment.
“The Plan’s focus areas to accelerate a circular
economy are to increase collection and
recycling simultaneously through creating value
and markets for the recycled plastics, enhance
industry awareness on sustainable sourcing
and production and develop products designed
for recyclability. We are optimistic that Kenya
will achieve its targets of being “a Green Hub”
within the region by cementing Kenya’s
leadership in matters Climate Change and the
Green Economy,” concluded Mr Kunyiha.
The launch of the Strategic Business Plan for a
Plastic Producer Responsibility Organization
(PRO) is in line with commitments made in the
Kenya Plastic Action Plan, launched last year.
The Plan seeks to enable a circular economy
for the environmentally sustainable use and
recycling of plastics in Kenya.
The Business Plan has been developed by KAM
in partnership with Sustainable Inclusive
Business under the KEPSA Foundation and the
Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
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