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Plastic pollution presents a growing environmental and economic challenge across the East African Community (EAC), degrading ecosystems, contaminating water bodies, and imposing rising costs on public waste management systems. Recently, in the context of the Hormuz Strait conflict, prices of plastic items have increased significantly, threatening affordability and food security in Africa. While several EAC Partner States have adopted national bans and restrictions on single-use plastics (SUPs), fragmented regulatory approaches and uneven enforcement have significantly undermined their effectiveness, particularly in the context of porous borders and cross-border trade.
8 May 26
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In response to these challenges, EAC policymakers have proposed a harmonised regional framework; the East African Community Prohibition of Manufacturing, Importation, Use and Sale of Single Use Plastics Bill, 2026 (EAC SUP Bill). The Bill establishes a common list of prohibited SUP products under Part II, Section 4, and introduces penalties aimed at curbing production, importation, sale, and use across the region.
Drawing on trade data on plastics and non-plastic substitutes within and beyond the EAC, this Policy Brief, authored by ALN Kenya and the Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution Programme (SMEP Programme) with contributions from UNCTAD, argues that the EAC SUP Bill represents not only an essential environmental intervention, but also a strategic trade and industrial policy opportunity for employment and supply security of materials in East Africa. The region’s current dependence on imported plastics, and increasingly on imported substitutes, exposes structural gaps in regional manufacturing, recycling capacity, and value addition. At the same time, growing trade in sustainable alternatives signals untapped potential for local production, job creation, and innovation.
To maximise the Bill’s impact, this brief recommends that EAC Partner States undertake the following;
a) fast-track the enactment and harmonised implementation of the EAC SUP Bill;
b) deploy targeted fiscal, trade, and industrial incentives to support domestic and regional production of approved substitutes; and
c) strengthen regional coordination, border enforcement, and standards harmonisation to facilitate trade in sustainable alternatives.
With coordinated implementation, East Africa can transform the challenge of plastic pollution into an opportunity, advancing sustainable development, strengthening regional integration, and positioning the EAC as a leader in trade-enabled circular economy solutions and serving as a template for other world regions for coherent regional action.
Click here to download and read the full policy brief.