Mr Hobson Agyapong, the Principal Programme Officer, Inter-sectoral Network Development at EPA, said single use plastics threatened the environment.
He made the remark at the commemoration of this year’s World Environment Day in Accra, where there was a voluntary Pact to reduce single use Plastics, a business led initiative co-designed by Plastic Punch, a local environmental nongovernmental organisation, in partnership with Ghanaian businesses and supported by the German Development Cooperation, under the global programme, “Go Circular”.
The initiative is backed by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST) and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
The Voluntary Pact brings together supermarkets, retail businesses, banks, and markets across Ghana, committed to cutting single use plastics (SUP) by 50 per cent by 2030.
A statement on the Go Circular programme, to the Ghana News Agency, explained that inspired by best practices from Germany, Kenya or Rwanda, the Pact adopted home grown solutions to reduce single use plastic consumption with a focus on consumer behaviour change.
A flagship campaign under the Voluntary Pact is the “Bag the Habit of Single Use Plastic,” encouraging Ghanaians to refuse, reduce, and reuse single use plastic bags.
It supports existing advocacy and regulatory efforts, reinforcing the idea that the shift started with everyday choices, it noted.
According to the statement, the collaborative spirit behind the Voluntary Pact helped to build bridges between regulators, civil Society, and the private sector to create practical solutions.
One key measure being piloted among the stakeholders, it said was a 50-pesewa fee on plastic bags encouraging consumers to switch to reusable alternatives.
Mr Richmond Quarcoo, the Executive Director of Plastic Punch noted that charging for plastic bags might seem small, but it was a powerful behavioural nudge, that prompted consumers to bring reusable bags and think differently about waste.
While supermarkets were a visible source of plastic bag consumption, the statement said other sectors, particularly Ghana’s vibrant food and catering industry were also a major contributor to plastic waste and played a crucial part of the solution.
Supermarkets that joined the Voluntary Pact included SNEDA, All Needs Supermarket (Legon), and Neha Supermarket, who were already rolling out the Bag the Habit campaign.
To address the challenge in the sector, the Go Circular Project recently completed its Business Development Programme for Circular SMEs, in partnership with Impact Footprints Africa.
The initiative, the statement said supported small and medium sized enterprises in the food and catering sector demonstrating that it was possible to reduce reliance on single use plastic.
Participating SMEs, it said were re-introducing sustainable, locally rooted practices, like wrapping waakye in leaves or switching to paper bags, reusable jars, and crates.
“From Accra’s supermarkets to local food vendors, a national shift is underway. As Ghana rewrites its plastic story, the Voluntary Pact stands as a growing movement, and a shared responsibility for a cleaner and more circular future,” it noted.
The Go Circular global programme supports the transition to a circular economy by scaling innovations and building alliances in several partner countries.
In Ghana, the project works closely with businesses, policymakers, and environmental groups to advance strategies for phasing down single-use plastics (SUP), including developing a roadmap, promoting circular business models, and the Voluntary Pact for SUP phasedown.
The initiative, implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), also raises public awareness and highlights practical solutions for reducing plastic waste.
GIZ has over 50 years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment, energy and the environment, and peace and security.
It works with businesses, civil society actors, and research institutions, fostering successful interaction between development policy and other policy fields and areas of activity.
GNA
