Reducing Plastic Pollution 2022

The plastic problem is continuously growing in many low income countries due to increased plastic consumption. Breaking the Plastic Wave describes that upstream solutions that aim to reduce or substitute plastic use are critical going forward and should be prioritised, while at the same time caution is needed while scaling such solutions to limit adverse negative social and environmental effects. The Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund is therefore looking for projects aiming to reduce plastic consumption and pollution through preventative measures, primarily in low income countries.

The application deadline has expired

The call for proposals targets in particular the following projects:

Projects should include measures to be implemented before plastic products become waste, either by ensuring a reduction in the amount of plastic usage, or to ensure that used plastics is fed into a circular system, thus not ending up as pollution. The project can either address part of the value chain or a whole value chain.

For this announcement we are looking for projects that include preventative measures that

  • Reduce the quantity of plastic waste through, for example
    • Avoiding unnecessary plastic usage
    • Making plastic products superfluous by changing demand and behaviour
    • Testing and implementing reuse models making single use plastic superfluous
  • Substituting plastic with other low impact solutions

We are also looking for projects that include measures that contribute to the reduction of the negative impacts of plastic on the environment and human health by ensuring that plastic waste does not end up as pollution, through, for example

  • Preventing plastic leakage by creating and improving value chains
  • Ensuring effective extended producer responsibility for plastic products and packaging
  • Creating safe new usage for used plastic products or parts of plastic products

What is meant by preventative measures?

Following the EUs definition, prevention is measures taken before a substance, material or product has become waste, that reduce:

  • the quantity of waste, including through the re-use of products or the extension of the life span of products; (quantitative prevention)
  • the adverse impacts of the generated waste on the environment and human health (qualitative prevention)

In this context we are not funding preventative measures such as awareness raising through information and education measures or campaigns.

Important dates

  • June: launch of the call for projects and application form
  • 11th of September 1 pm (CEST): Deadline for prequalification applications
  • 26th of September: Successful applicants are invited to write a full application
  • 23rd of October 1 pm (CEST): Deadline full application
  • All applicants will receive a response by the 16th of December 2022

See projects we have previously awarded funding to here.

Assessment criteria

Applications for all topics under the calls will be assessed in relation to four assessment criteria, all of which are given equal weight.

  • Solidity – Focuses on the quality of the proposed measures, activities and methods, and on how ambitious and innovative the proposed project is.
  • Environmental impact – Potential impact and benefit of the proposed project. Dissemination and sharing of results and their utilisation.
  • Implementation – The quality of the project's organisation, management and resource utilisation (including the qualifications of the project manager and project group).
  • The objectives of the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund – To what extent the project helps to realise the objectives of the call for applications.

Application process

This year's call for applications is distributed over 6 topics. Applicants under the theme 'Volunteer clean-ups and preventive measures' need to submit one application. For the remaining five topics, the applicant must submit a prequalification application, and if accepted they are invited to submit a full application.

Procedure for processing of applications:

  1. The prequalification applications are reviewed by the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund’s administration.
  2. The applications will be reviewed according to four criteria, and the highest ranked applications will be invited to send in a full application.
  3. Full applications are then considered by the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund’s administration and an independent, external committee of experts.
  4. The final decision on which applications will be granted funding is made by the Fund's board of directors.
  5. Responses to applications will be received by Friday December 16th 2022.
  6. The exception to the above is for applications under the topic ‘Volunteer clean-ups and preventive measures’ which will only be reviewed by the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund’s administration.
  7. Responses to applications for applications under the topic ‘Volunteer clean-ups and preventive measures’ will be received during October 2022.

The application deadline is 13.00 (CEST) on Sunday September 11th 2022.

Important

Funding from the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund can be used as own funding in connection with applications submitted to other funding schemes.

The Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund observes a strict declaration of impartiality and secrecy. Note that the information in the application can be shared confidentially with other financing actors (such as the Norwegian Centre against Marine Litter and Sparebankstiftelsen) in connection with application processing where this is relevant. This is to ensure good and effective reviews, as well as good use of funds.

Members of the evaluation committee for this announcement

  • Kjersti Busch from SALT Lofoten
  • Marianne Olsen from NIVA
  • Clever Mafuta from GRID-Arendal
  • Nina Jensen from Rev Ocean

Do you have questions?

Feel free to contact us at post@handelensmiljofond.no !

Please indicate clearly which topics under the call your enquiry concerns ie. “Reducing plastic pollution”.