A paradigm shift to a circular economy presents multidimensional benefits to businesses, brands, consumers, and societies by moving away from the traditional linear economic model of take-make-use-dispose to an environmentally conscious development approach. The application of circular economy approaches in human development provides a pathway to using renewable energy, sustainable packaging alternatives, product redesign, reuse and refill practices, upcycling and recycling waste, and investment in state-of-the-art infrastructure.
Sustainable Inclusive Business Kenya (SIB-K), the knowledge centre under the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), acknowledges the necessity of evaluating the private sector’s shift to a circular economy in the Kenyan context. The recognition initiative aligns with the overarching goal of promoting competitive and sustainable economic growth while striking a balance between profits, the planet, and people. The increasing demand for limited resources brought about by population expansion, rising productivity, and the resulting increase in greenhouse gas emissions highlights the urgency of continuous and well-grounded monitoring and tracking to generate science-based and evidence-based data to guide Kenya’s private sector transition to a circular economy.
Through the support from TradeMark East Africa, SIB-K conducted a comprehensive study guided by the following objectives:
- Determine the key laws, regulations, policies and strategic reports related to circular economy initiatives.
- Assess the current levels of awareness on climate change, green or circular economy principles among businesses.
- Ascertain the challenges hindering the transition to a circular economy, and identify incentive and disincentive structures.
- Determine business opportunities presented by the existing laws in the transition to a circular economy.
A mixed methodology research design characterized by a highly participatory approach to data collection involving questionnaires, key informant interviews (KIIs), and focus group discussions (FGDs) across six Kenyan counties: Nairobi, Nakuru, Mombasa, Narok, Kisumu, and Tana River was utilized. The study achieved a significant engagement rate, with a 93% response from 400 targeted respondents. This sample included diverse sector representation: 18% from manufacturing, 14.2% from tourism and hospitality, and 10.1% from agriculture, among others. Analysis of the collected data revealed significant variations in the awareness of circular economy practices across different sectors. Agriculture led with the highest awareness at 84.7%. Regarding the adequacy of laws supporting circular economy initiatives, the agriculture sector also rated the highest at 65%. In terms of incentives, the manufacturing and agriculture sectors reported the highest benefit rates at 30%, contrasting with the lower 19% in the tourism and hospitality sectors.
Read full report HERE 
Loading...
Reload document 
Open in new tab 