WES and the “Policy support to address single-use plastic items in Lebanon”

The “WES in the ENI Southern Neighbourhood region' project” ran from March 2021 to September 2023. The activity aims to contribute to the phase-out of single-use plastic (SUP) items.

The initiative is supported by the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Industry of Lebanon.

The project involves analysing the single-use plastic 'scene' in the country to come up with concrete actions to phase out SUP and finalise, with the provision of evidence-based advice, a national-level strategy to reduce and possibly ban the production and/or use of certain single-use plastic items in the country.

Activities included meetings, selection of targeted SUP items in Lebanon, baseline (production and consumption) for selected SUP items in Lebanon, Workshops, Roadmaps and Consultation Meetings.

The activity successfully achieved its objectives, allowing a detailed roadmap on actions to be taken to tackle UAS on-the-go, especially in the hotel, restaurant and bar sector.

These are the main results:

1. Baseline report on selected SUP in Lebanon
2. Roadmap for addressing SUP
3. Final draft of the voluntary agreement between the Ministry of Environment and the Restaurant Union.

Last but not least, the importance of raising awareness, capacity building and promoting actions in relation to SUP on the move through the implementation of this activity in Lebanon should be acknowledged.

The next steps will be the formalisation of the voluntary agreement through promotion and eventual signature by specific businesses, which would benefit from expert follow-up to assess their UAS consumption and guide them towards tailor-made sustainable alternatives.

Learn more: https://shorturl.at/oqBPQ