The United Nations is calling for a shift to a more sustainable economy that benefits both people and the planet. This call is echoed by the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which highlights the economic implications of pollution. Pollution is not only an environmental issue but also a significant economic concern. It is a reflection of waste inefficiency, high costs, and a barrier to trade competitiveness. In order to drive change from the ground up, UNCTAD and its global partners are implementing the Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution Programme (SMEP) in Africa and Asia. The programme, now in its seventh year, demonstrates that reducing pollution can also boost regulatory compliance, enhance trade between developing countries, and unlock new export opportunities. “ The Global South is increasingly embracing its comparative advantage in nature-based, circular and inclusive approaches to industrial growth and trade,” says Chantal Line Carpentier, who leads UNCTAD’s work on trade, environment, climate change and sustainable development issues. “By supporting efforts that link environmental stewardship and bottom-up innovation with economic opportunity, we help ensure that sustainability, creativity and inclusion are central to tomorrow’s trade and development models.”
### SMEP: A Practical Solution to Pollution
SMEP spearheads practical solutions that are technically sound, resource-efficient, and feasible for developing economies with limited infrastructure. The programme is designed to be scalable, affordable, and aligned with evolving environmental and trade standards. In Kenya, SMEP is helping convert waste from rural and urban sources into economic opportunities. The programme supports efforts to convert biomass waste into textile-grade fibres, turn agricultural waste into biochar for regenerative farming practices, and explore the use of fish waste as a source of biogas for coastal communities. On the industrial front, SMEP is piloting solutions to mitigate the effects of poorly treated liquid waste or sewage from sectors with high risks of water pollution. For example, the programme is working on a project to scale resource efficiency and cleaner production in the Nairobi Rivers Basin. ### A Shift in Global Environmental Governance
The time to act is now. The UN Human Rights Council has recently recognized plastic pollution as a human rights issue threatening hundreds of millions of people’s health, livelihoods, and access to a safe environment. The world is approaching the 2025 deadline to prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution, particularly from land-based activities. Against this backdrop, most SMEP projects are gaining momentum. ### International Cooperation for Resilient Growth
Despite growing economic uncertainties worldwide, initiatives like SMEP continue to demonstrate the importance of international cooperation. Supported by SMEP, countries are shifting the narrative – redefining what viable and inclusive industrial growth looks like amid a fast-evolving global landscape. The models are in place: resource-efficient, cleaner, participatory, and locally led. The results are emerging. ### The Road Ahead
What remains is to integrate these models into policy, procurement, and economic systems for innovative solutions to scale and last. The Global South must play a more prominent role in charting a new development course in a changing world. ### Key Highlights:
* **Pollution is an economic issue**: UNCTAD highlights the economic implications of pollution, including waste inefficiency, high costs, and a barrier to trade competitiveness. * **SMEP: A practical solution**: SMEP spearheads practical solutions that are technically sound, resource-efficient, and feasible for developing economies with limited infrastructure. * **Recognition of plastic pollution as a human rights issue**: The UN Human Rights Council has recognized plastic pollution as a human rights issue threatening hundreds of millions of people’s health, livelihoods, and access to a safe environment. * **International cooperation for resilient growth**: Initiatives like SMEP continue to demonstrate the importance of international cooperation for helping developing countries tailor forward-looking development strategies. ### Definitions:
* **Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution Programme (SMEP)**: A programme implemented by UNCTAD and its global partners to support practical solutions to reducing pollution in Africa and Asia. * **Pollution**: A significant economic concern that is a reflection of waste inefficiency, high costs, and a barrier to trade competitiveness. * **SMEP**: A practical solution that is technically sound, resource-efficient, and feasible for developing economies with limited infrastructure.