KENYA ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS LAUNCHES BUSINESS PLAN

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.

About The Author

Leave a Commment

Leave a Comment