Solution Scope: ALL

Target Contaminant: Plastics

Solution Provider or Contact Point: World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

Project: https://plasticsmartcities.org/mediterranean/ (MED); https://plasticsmartcities.org/izmir/  (TR)

ITS Description: The WWF’s Plastics Smart Cities initiative is dedicated to tackling plastic pollution in urban areas and supporting cities in taking decisive action to prevent plastic waste from entering natural environments. The primary objective is to reduce plastic leakage into nature by 30% in the short term and achieve zero plastics in nature by 2030, in alignment with up to 7 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This initiative involves collaboration with governments, businesses, and the public to address the entire life cycle of plastic materials. Member cities develop action plans to decrease plastic pollution and implement innovative measures to prevent, minimize, and manage plastic waste. Additionally, the initiative serves as a platform for knowledge-sharing among cities, facilitating the exchange of best practices and providing access to vetted solutions. It also offers support for capacity building, monitoring and evaluation, and the formation of partnerships to scale successful solutions. Activities include waste reduction programs, recycling initiatives, awareness campaigns, and the promotion of environmentally friendly alternatives to single-use plastics. In Europe, the WWF leads the initiative in partnership with EUROCITIES, a network of major European cities. In the Mediterranean region, member cities include Dubrovnik (Croatia), Izmir (Turkey), Nice (France), Tangier (Morocco), Tinja (Tunisia), Trogir (Croatia), and Venice (Italy).

Correspondence with BMM OIR (sectoral priorities, R&I activities, gaps, needs): The ITS fills several action gaps in relation to different BMM dimensions of analysis. For example, the solution stimulates new commitments for zero plastic plans at administration level, while also supporting execution, evaluation and monitoring of awareness-raising and education campaigns and promoting the implementation of new recycling schemes. The initiative provides a concrete solution to the Policy and Social Challenge of the BMM OIR for territorial administration authorities and their wastewater and solid waste management sectors. This includes a comprehensive answer to the challenge for increased awareness of local stakeholders on the adoption of solutions through stimulating actions such as exchanging good practices, engaging municipalities to manage waste collection from an environmental perspective, increase awareness on multi-solutions approach and increase monitoring capacities of overall activities. It also responds to challenges at the societal level for compromising sectoral interests under the same programme/activities and for stimulating change in consumers’ habits through actions directed at citizenship.