Digital Innovations for Transitioning to a Circular plastic Economy - (DITCh Plastic)

This proposal brings together a multisectoral collaborative network, aimed at utilising digital innovations (DIs) to manage and accelerate the transition to a circular plastic economy (CPE) in Africa. Plastic pollution is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. While plastics are an indispensable material due to an array of unique properties and wide-ranging benefits, they pose significant environmental and health problems which are becoming increasingly intractable. Poor infrastructure and inadequate waste management systems exacerbate this problem and the environmental impact of plastic waste in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).
The rise in awareness of the circular economy is a crucial part of the sustainability discourse and has been tipped to play a significant role in the global shift to a more sustainable planet. Its key principles; reuse, recycle, redesign, remanufacture, reduce and recover, will make a significant impact in managing the high volumes of waste in the ecosystem. Therefore, creating a shift towards a circular plastic economy. This coupled with digital innovations, such as mobile applications, remote sensing and artificial intelligence; provide a game-changing approach, which could address the plastic waste challenge in Africa.
The project aims to characterise, cluster, synergise and optimise digital innovations that would support a transition to a circular plastic economy in Africa. It has the following specific objectives:
I. Identify and assess digital solutions and innovations that can support the transition to a circular plastic economy.
II. Characterise technical, political, gender, socio-economic and cultural factors that can influence the transition to a circular plastic economy.
III. Identify policy, research questions and capacity building opportunities for promoting digital tools and innovations.
IV. Promote digital tools and innovations for a circular plastic economy.

The objectives will be achieved through the following work packages:
WP1: Assessing state of the art of digital innovations for plastic waste management across Africa and forming a network for these innovative platforms.
WP2: Characterising Technical, Gender, Political, Socio-Economic and Cultural Factors that promote /hinder a transition to a circular plastic economy in the context of Africa.
WP3: Investigating opportunities for rethinking/optimising digital tools for a circular plastic economy (This will utilise results from WP1 and WP2).
WP4: Creating a Digital Aggregator Platform that brings together stakeholders, digital tools and innovations for a Circular Plastic Economy
WP5: Disseminating and engaging with key stakeholders and the wider public, on what/how digital tools can positively contribute to the transition to a circular plastic economy.

This project represents the first step in creating a multisectoral collaborative network, aimed at utilising digital innovations to manage and accelerate the transition to a CPE in Africa. Therefore, the primary outcome will be a strong multisectoral, interdisciplinary and international team who will identify gaps, opportunities, policy recommendations and research questions to support the transition. Specific outputs include:
- Project website with a digital aggregator platform that links various stakeholders of the CPE
- Robust timely and relevant research questions for stage 2
- Two international workshops, of about 30 participants each (Apr & Aug 2020)
- Documentation of existing DIs across the continent, detailing strengths and weaknesses
- Documentation of; technical, political, socio-economic, gender and cultural factors that affect DIs for a CPE
- Dissemination activities at Chatham House and CC-Hub
- A series of networking activities, with various stakeholders, in Kigali, Lagos and Windhoek
- A mini conference on DIs for the CPE with conference proceeding and journal special issue

This project brings together a multisectoral, international, interdisciplinary network, aimed at utilising digital innovations to accelerate the transition to a circular plastic economy in Africa. Together, the team will be well positioned to make a significant contribution to accelerating the transition to a circular plastic economy across sub - Saharan Africa. The beneficiaries of the proposed research would include the following:
I. Informal waste collectors: The DITCh plastic network will be exploring how digital innovations could improve outcomes for waste collectors in the informal waste economy. For example, fairer wages, improved productivity and capacity building. Therefore, the project is going to be of significant benefit to these collectors, who are some of the poorest in society.
II. Waste management organisations in Africa: The project will be highlighting how digital innovations could transform and optimise plastic waste management and will therefore be beneficial to waste management organisations. Organisations who already use digital innovations will still benefit as the project also focuses on optimising digital innovations for the African market. Furthermore, we will be conducting a detailed Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis on existing digital innovations for plastic management, which will be beneficial for improving their performance. A further benefit is the digital aggregator platform, which will facilitate and foster collaboration, synergy and knowledge exchange.
III. Academia: The activities of this network will identify key research questions that support the transition to a Circular Plastic Economy, thus shaping future research direction in this field. The mini conference, conference proceedings and proposed special issue will be an opportunity to connect researches and collate academic publications focussed on the digital innovations for the circular plastic economy.
IV. Policymakers, Regulators, International and Environmental Agencies: This group are major stakeholders, whose actions can result in significant change. This group includes organisations such as UNEP, Government ministries, DFID, GIZ, World Bank and African Development Bank. The outcomes and outputs of this project will be disseminated with them through our activities, as well as via the digital aggregator platform.
V. Partners of the DITCh plastic Network: The multi-sectoral, interdisciplinary and international nature of the team will create vast opportunities for knowledge exchange and capacity building in this timely area of sustainably managing plastic waste. This project will facilitate 2-way knowledge and skills transfer between academia and innovation hubs, as well as between academics in UK and academics in Africa.
VI. General Public: This project contributes to sustainably tackling plastic waste, which is a major global challenge. Therefore, the outcome of this Network will be beneficial to the public.