SMEP Resources

Lost at Sea: Combating Abandoned, Lost, and Otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear
Plastic pollution has a severe impact on oceans and marine life. This report, produced by the World Bank’s PROBLUE Programme, summarises actions that can be taken to manage abandoned, lost and otherwise discarded fishing gear, and features the SMEP grantee, Catchgreen, as a case study for biodegradable fishing gear.

Butterfly Diagram: Mapping the SMEP Programme’s projects onto circular economy processes
The butterfly diagram provides a comprehensive framework for circularity across sectors. Using this model, the SMEP Programme has mapped its projects in Africa and South Asia, showcasing how organic and technical material loops complement each other.

Impacts of Plastic Pollution on Human Health
This study used empirical evidence from
projects in Ghana, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Kenya which are part of the SMEP programme plastic portfolio, to analyse the role of their plastic recycling and upcycling systems and estimate reductions in human health impacts.

Battery Value Chains: The challenges for e-mobility in South Asia
In South Asia, the urgent need for affordable mobility has led to a rapid embrace of e-mobility, but often with regrettable technology choices like lead-acid batteries (LABs) used in electric 3-wheelers. This report explores the challenges associated with LABs as well as potential solutions to managing these in Bangladesh.

Pineapple Farming Waste Management: A Case Study on Mananasi Fibre Ltd
This case study report provides an overview of pilot activity that has been undertaken by Mananasi Fibre at the Del Monte Pineapple Estate in Thika, Kenya, commencing in July 2023.

Dirty, difficult and dangerous: Establishing a plastics waste upcycling system in Nepal
The growing global issue of plastic waste can be offset by upcycling it into new and useful products. This article relays the lessons from the Plastic to Ghar upcycling project in Nepal.