IslandPlas project coordinates a stronger path towards circular plastics economy in Zanzibar

A key shift is emerging under the IslandPlas project in Zanzibar, a shift supporting stakeholders to move beyond fragmented approaches to plastic waste management towards more coordinated action, informed policy and practical solutions suited to Zanzibar’s Island context.

At the centre of this shift is a growing recognition that addressing marine plastic pollution requires more than improving waste collection and recycling. It requires understanding what plastics are made of, how they can be safely managed, who should bear responsibility for their impacts, and how different actors can work together to create a functioning circular economy.

This is particularly important for Zanzibar, where limited land, coastal dependence and the movement of plastic waste through terrestrial and marine environments make effective plastics management both an environmental and economic priority.

Building a common foundation for action

Funded by the Coca-Cola foundation and implemented by IUCN in Zanzibar (Unguja and Pemba), one of the challenges identified by IslandPlas is the varying levels of understanding among institutions involved in plastics management. Government authorities, businesses, municipalities and civil society organisations often approach the issue from different perspectives, creating gaps in coordination and making it difficult to translate policy ambitions into practical action.

The IslandPlas EPR & Circular Economy training is helping address this gap by bringing these different actors into a common platform. The training held in Zanzibar, Unguja on 19^th&20^th August is contributing to this transformation by strengthening participants’ practical understanding of plastic polymers, hazardous additives, recyclable and non-recyclable materials, and the principles of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). More importantly, the engagement is creating space for stakeholders to examine what these concepts mean for Zanzibar in practice. Rather than treating EPR as a technical policy concept, participants are considering how responsibility for plastics can be shared across the value chain from producers and importers to consumers, municipalities, waste actors and regulators and what systems would be required to make such an approach work in a small island setting. This shift from knowledge to application is one of the most important outcomes of the intervention.

Strengthening the systems behind plastic management

A functioning circular economy depends on more than individual organisations acting. It requires institutions to understand their respective roles and work towards common objectives. Through facilitated discussions and collaborative exercises, stakeholders are beginning to identify practical entry points for stronger coordination, joint advocacy and follow-up on plastics policy. This provides an important foundation for moving towards an EPR system in Zanzibar, one that can clarify responsibilities, strengthen financing mechanisms and support greater accountability across the plastics value chain. 

The emerging coordination is particularly significant because it brings together actors who influence different stages of the system. Government provides the policy and regulatory environment; businesses influence production, importation and consumption; municipalities and waste actors are central to collection and management; while civil society can contribute evidence, community engagement and advocacy. Connecting these roles creates opportunities for a more coherent response to plastic pollution.

Investing in capacity that lasts beyond the project

The long-term value of the intervention lies not only in what participants learn, but in how that knowledge can continue to be applied after the IslandPlas project ends. By strengthening institutional capacity and creating relationships across sectors, the initiative is helping establish a foundation for continued dialogue and collective action on plastics.

The use of pre and post training assessments is also providing a way to track changes in participants’ understanding and identify areas where further capacity building may be needed. Together with participation data and stakeholder recommendations, these insights can help inform subsequent activities under the country training programme.

In this way, the training is part of a broader process of institutional strengthening and systems change, rather than a standalone capacity-building activity.

Towards a more coordinated plastics future for Zanzibar

For Zanzibar, the ambition extends beyond reducing the amount of plastic waste entering the ocean. It’s about building a system in which plastics are managed more responsibly throughout their lifecycle, resources are retained in the economy for longer, and the environmental and social costs of plastic pollution are better addressed.

IslandPlas project is contributing to this transition by helping create the knowledge, relationships and coordination needed to turn circular economy commitments into practical action. The immediate transformation is therefore not simply a group of stakeholders gaining new technical knowledge. It is the beginning of a more shared understanding of the plastic waste  challenge and, importantly, a stronger basis for different sectors to work together towards solutions.

As Zanzibar continues to develop its approach to plastic waste management and EPR, this strengthened capacity and cross-sector coordination can provide an important foundation for policies and systems that are practical, inclusive and fit for the realities of an island economy.