This is a key area for anyone looking to better understand and measure environmental impact, especially within agrifood systems. Getting your data right is the first step toward credible carbon footprinting and informed decision-making.

💬 We invite you to join the conversation with our community of learners:

• Gain new insights and practical guidance
• Ask your questions and share your concerns
• Exchange experiences and real-life cases

Your perspective matters, whether you are just starting or already working on carbon footprinting initiatives.

Let’s learn, reflect, and grow together!

At the third EU-Caribbean Global Gateway Conference on Sargassum, on the 8^th of October, stakeholders from governments, private sector, academia, and international financiers explored practical solutions for collecting, processing, and valorizing sargassum. The conference marked a shift from research and pilot projects to real, scalable action.

Grenada, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico committed to collect and process 660,000 tonnes of sargassum between 2026–2027:

• Grenada: 10,000 tonnes
• Dominican Republic: 150,000 tonnes
• Mexico: 500,000 tonnes

The initiative aims to establish regional sargassum-based value chains, creating new products, stimulating local entrepreneurship, and promoting clean energy solutions. Platforms like national task forces and investment feasibility studies are supporting these efforts, ensuring sustainable, economically viable practices.

By transforming sargassum from a coastal nuisance into a resource for industry and innovation, this initiative highlights the principles of a circular economy, where waste is repurposed to generate value while benefiting communities and the environment.

More information: https://caribbeannewsglobal.com/eu-and-the-caribbean-tackle-sargassum-crisis-in-the-caribbean/

Rooted in the “Vision 2030, The Chad We Want” framework, the roadmap builds on practices long embedded in Chadian life. In N’Djamena, informal waste collectors have for years combed through neighborhoods asking, “Do you have any bottles?” They would salvage, reuse, and resell what they could find, driven by necessity rather than policy. Now, that informal system is being scaled up, formalised, and embedded in national strategy, with governance structures, financing mechanisms, and measurable targets.

By 2035, Chad aims to reduce non-recycled waste by 40 percent, create more than 25,000 green jobs, and raise access to electricity toward the African median, largely through biomass and organic waste recovery. Six key sectors form the backbone of the roadmap are; agri-food, waste, plastics, construction, water, and energy—each linked to specific interventions. These range from “circular farms” modeled on Benin’s Songhai Center, which integrate agriculture, energy, and water in closed-loop systems, to youth-led plastic recycling businesses that turn waste into construction materials.

This shift is not simply about environmental stewardship; it addresses some of Chad’s most pressing development challenges. Access to electricity remains among the lowest in the world, with fewer than 12 percent of citizens connected to power. Food insecurity affects more than 3.7 million people, while post-harvest losses exceed 200,000 tons annually. The roadmap proposes tangible, interlinked solutions—turning crop residues into compost, generating biogas from animal waste, and treating wastewater for irrigation—to strengthen food systems, diversify energy sources, and reduce pressure on natural resources.

The adoption of the roadmap is part of a wider African movement toward circularity, supported by ACEF and the African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA). Similar national plans are underway in Benin, Cameroon, and Ethiopia, each adapted to local realities but sharing a common goal: to make circularity a driver of inclusive, low-carbon growth across the continent.

More information: https://africasustainabilitymatters.com/chad-puts-circular-economy-at-the-heart-of-its-development-vision/

The PAFO-COLEAD Innovation Series showcase innovations and successes of African farmer-led businesses and SMEs. Practical lessons on responsible production emerged.

Session n°6, on sustainable agriculture and agroecological practices, featured ColdHubs Limited,  Kati Farms (Uganda) Ltd, SHEKINA Enterprise and SYMABIO showing how they support organic certification, upcycle orphan fruits, train young farmers, and promote nutrient recycling through composting and clean energy.

Session n°11 explored circular economy and food loss reduction. West African Feeds, Jedengui, Viva Organica, Hya Bioplastics and Chowberry showed how food waste becomes insect protein or organic fertilizer, how fruit drying reduces post-harvest loss and creates jobs for women, and how household and restaurant waste can be valorized.

Session n°18 focused on innovations in packaging: Jhines Factories, Dercolbags Packaging Ltd and Phronesis Food presented eco-friendly alternatives to plastics, smart packaging, local packaging firms empowering entrepreneurs and compostable packaging from agricultural waste.

The IICA-COLEAD Caribbean Agrifood Business Series also showcase the innovations and successes of Caribbean farmer-led businesses and SMEs.

Session n°2 on bioeconomy, gathered Algas Organics, Banelino and Twigs Naturals who convert invasive seaweed into agricultural inputs and embed biodiversity in production. Session n°14 covered climate-resilient technologies where Maya Mountain Research Farm, Zantarea Farms, Simmons Pepper & Vegetable Farm and Green Haven Fresh Farm presented permaculture, agroforestry, solar-powered farms, aquaponics, and integrated water-energy-food approaches.

Meanwhile, OECD-COLEAD Fruit and Vegetables Industry Series about successes and innovations of private sector operators across the European Union and Africa, linked SDG 12 with healthier diets and reduced waste. Session n°2 highlighted policies for healthier food choices with HPW fresh & dry ltd, SURAL-SACICC and ProNatura.Session n°5  presented technologies to reduce food waste: Wasteless, East Africa Foods and Insecti Pro showcased AI-powered pricing, aggregation platforms for smallholders, and insect-based recycling of organic waste into protein feed.

Across Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe, these sessions reveal a common thread: entrepreneurs are turning SDG 12 into action. From agroecology and circular economy to sustainable packaging and waste reduction, these initiatives prove that responsible consumption and production are real business opportunities creating jobs, protecting resources, and opening markets.

The CEAP, developed under the leadership of the AUC with co-funding from the EU and the technical assistance from Trinomics and the African Circular Economy Network Foundation (ACEN Foundation), provides a strategic framework to address the continent’s pressing sustainability challenges. Key partners in the development of the Action Plan included the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Expert Working Group on Circular Economy. 

It proposes a shift away from the linear "take-make-dispose" model toward a regenerative approach that creates jobs, reduces waste and strengthens resilience. It targets eight () priority sectors including water, waste, energy and agriculture, and four cross-cutting enablers: inclusivity, trade, education and finance. It promotes sustainable growth, local value creation and environmental resilience through coordinated action by the AU, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Member States.

More information: https://www.undp.org/africa/news/undp-joins-african-union-and-partners-launch-continental-circular-economy-action-plan-ceap-africa