Reducing Marine Litter in the Caribbean through Circular Economy

Enriched International · Found: 2026-03-11 11:11

Caribbean regional initiative reducing marine litter through circular economy approaches including waste management improvement, recycling value chains, and capacity building funded through KfW ACE Facility.

Source: https://sluncf.org/post/reducing-marine-litter-in-the-caribbean-through-circular-economy

Funding Details

Funder

KfW Development Bank / Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF)

Funding Goal

Reduce marine litter in the Caribbean by establishing a circular economy facility that funds waste management improvement, recycling value chains, beach/sea waste collection, and behavioral change campaigns across up to nine Caribbean countries and territories.

Funding Amount

EUR 25.7 million total facility; individual project grants unspecified — at least 18 projects to be funded across up to 9 Caribbean countries (up to 25.700.000 €)

Deadline

2028-12-31 (Fixed)

How to Apply

Applications are submitted to the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), which administers the facility on behalf of KfW. The CBF selects at least 18 individual projects. No direct application link on this news page — applicants should contact CBF or check the CBF website for open calls.

Target Region

Caribbean (up to 9 countries and territories)

Contact

Saint Lucia National Conservation Fund (SLUNCF) — page publisher; social: facebook.com/sluncf, twitter.com/saintluciancf. Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) is the grant administrator — contact details not provided on this page.

Last Checked

2026-03-11 16:03

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Project must be located in one of the eligible Caribbean countries or territories (up to 9 countries)
• Project must involve the private sector as a partner or implementer

Project Scope

• Project must address circular economy principles (design, reuse, repair, recycling, or waste management)
• Eligible measures span the full product lifecycle — from product development and optimized design to improved waste management and collection
• Project must include a behavioral change or public awareness component to reduce littering

Required Documents

• Apply through the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), which administers open calls and selects projects

Constraints

• Program runs until 2028 — project timelines must fit within the facility's operational window
• Total facility is EUR 25.7 million across at least 18 projects; individual grant sizes not publicly specified

Summary

KfW, on behalf of the German government, signed a EUR 25.7 million grant agreement with the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) to establish the ACE (Accelerating Circular Economy) Facility for the Caribbean. The program aims to reduce marine plastic pollution — one of the most severe in the world after the Mediterranean — by financing at least 18 individual projects across up to nine Caribbean nations and territories through 2028. It is part of the Clean Oceans Initiative (COI), a joint initiative of European development banks that has mobilized over EUR 2 billion since 2018. The facility supports the full product lifecycle: new product development, optimized design, improved waste management, collection of marine litter from beaches and the sea, recycling, and public education to drive behavioral change. Private sector involvement is required for funded projects. The CBF, established with KfW support and marking its tenth anniversary in 2022, serves as the regional implementing partner channeling grants to selected projects. The program targets the Caribbean's unique biodiversity — home to over 12,000 animal species including endangered sea turtles — which is threatened by plastic waste accumulating at up to 2,000 items per kilometer of coastline. By funding systemic circular economy approaches rather than one-off clean-ups, the initiative aims to benefit approximately 20,000 people directly and the broader population of 43 million Caribbean inhabitants by improving ocean health, tourism, and fisheries.

Historical Context

KfW signed the grant agreement with CBF in October 2022, marking the first such agreement between the two organizations. CBF was celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2022, having been established with KfW support. The program is part of the Clean Oceans Initiative (COI), which since late 2018 has committed over EUR 2 billion toward ocean plastic reduction, with a COI target of EUR 4 billion by 2025.

Why it was added

GIZ/bilateral waste capacity building

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