Egypt has extended its national project targeting single-use plastics by an additional year, moving its completion date to 2027.
The initiative seeks to reduce plastic packaging waste across multiple sectors, focusing on the production and use of single-use materials while advancing the country’s broader transition toward sustainable consumption and production models.
Under the project, national standards for alternative plastic bags have been established, accompanied by pilot recycling initiatives designed to stimulate industry uptake. The program emphasizes the development of local production capacities for plastic substitutes, aiming to reduce transport costs and create potential “plastic-free cities” that could serve as benchmarks for national replication, according to Egypt’s local development and acting environment minister, Manal Awad.
Significant progress has already been recorded. Cairo Governorate reports the establishment of five new Egyptian standards for alternative plastic bags, the launch of a nationwide awareness campaign titled “Reduce It,” and the strengthening of local laboratory capacities to verify compliance with the new standards. These steps aim to ensure that alternatives meet technical requirements while promoting consumer and industrial adoption.
The project is funded by the Government of Japan and implemented in collaboration with the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), with support from the Federation of Egyptian Industries, which has called for expanded funding to cover additional industrial facilities nationwide. Partnerships with academic institutions such as Nile University have enabled detailed market assessments of raw material availability and industrial readiness. The initiative has also rolled out training programs for small and medium-sized enterprises and initiated pilot recycling projects in conjunction with private-sector partners.
Awad highlighted the initiative as a model of effective development cooperation, noting the urgency of addressing plastic pollution, which increasingly threatens biodiversity and livelihoods. She emphasized the need to design a clear timeline and financial framework for subsequent phases, with strong industrial engagement, policy development, and legislative support as key components for the adoption of circular practices.
Complementary initiatives are already in motion. In 2024, SIG, Plastic Bank, and the German development agency launched a blockchain-based project targeting packaging waste, laying the foundations for an extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework in Egypt while supporting the livelihoods of local waste collectors.
By extending the project timeline to 2027, Egypt aims to consolidate gains, scale industrial participation, and further embed circular economy principles in the national plastics value chain, positioning the country as a regional leader in sustainable material management.
