After a year-long holistic programme, the results of Maldives SHiFT have been published, shedding light on crucial opportunities for government, businesses and communities to tackle plastic pollution.
The Maldives SHiFT programme was led by eXXpedition CIC, in partnership with the Republic of Maldives’ Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy, the UK’s Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), the University of Georgia, The Maldives National University, Parley Maldives, The Commonwealth, Fauna & Flora, and with funding from the UK Government’s International Development as part of the Defra Ocean Country Partnership Programme.
The Maldives, with its 1,200 coral islands and vibrant tourism industry, faces unique challenges in managing plastic pollution. Despite contributing a small fraction to global plastic waste, small island communities bear the brunt of its impact. Yet they are leading in finding adaptable, innovative solutions - such as the Single-Use Plastic Phase-Out plan - which made it a very interesting time to run the Maldives SHiFT programme.
Our team conducted a Circularity Assessment on 3 islands in Greater Malé - Malé, Villingili, and Hulhumalé - to gather community-level data on plastic usage and waste management. The goal? To inform policies and decisions at local, regional, and national levels, reducing plastic leakage and promoting circular materials management.
You can learn more about our key findings here: https://exxpedition.com/impact/maldives-shift-circularity-assessment/
