NAIROBI, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) on Tuesday pledged to accelerate the adoption of circular economy solutions to enhance sustainability and reduce environmental waste.
Speaking during the third edition of the Loop Forum Kenya, Tobias Alando, chief executive officer of the KAM, underscored the importance of integrating circular economy principles into manufacturing processes to minimize waste generation and enhance resource efficiency.
"Kenya's industrial sector is focusing on sustainability because this is our world, and we must protect it through sustainable processes," Alando said during the two-day forum that took place in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
The forum, themed "Driving Kenya's Transition to a Circular Economy through Collaboration, Innovation, and Sustainability," drew key stakeholders such as government representatives, private sector leaders, investors, development partners, and research institutions.
Alando revealed that the KAM, through its Center for Green Growth and Climate Change, provides programs and initiatives to drive the circular economy, such as the circular economy resource mapping program, which involves changing design, management, and practices to reduce waste and negative environmental impacts.
Joyce Njogu, head of consulting and business development at the KAM, noted that Kenyan manufacturers have invested in strengthening regenerative processes and creating industrial symbiosis loops in industrial processes.
She added that some of the initiatives under the circular economy strategy include the extended producer responsibility, which requires manufacturers to manage plastic waste through post-consumer waste collection and recycling.
