Background

Human activity considerably affects nature in various ways. One of the biggest concerns in this regard is plastic pollution. Despite numerous activities, strategies and legal measures initiated in many countries, the volume of plastic waste is growing and its negative impact has become more visible.

Plastic bags account for a considerable part of plastic waste. This problem is quite concerning also in Armenia. According to UNDP, over the past 20 years we have generated and accumulated nearly 100,000 tons of plastic litter in Armenia.

The policy proposed by the Government of RA on reducing plastic pollution can be effective only if it is accompanied by change in the behavior of consumers. Raising awareness on the issue of plastic pollution and behavioral interventions are the most important factors towards giving up single-use plastic voluntarily.

Project Activities

• Design and implement a behavioral change experiment to better understand the motivation of people to consume single-use plastic. The lessons learnt from the experiment will help to better plan and implement other activities of the project.
• Implement a large-scale awareness raising campaign targeting Yerevan and the regions for long-term impact of the project. The campaign will be designed in cooperation with institutions with extensive expertise in the field (including RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, RA Ministry of Environment, UNDP and other stakeholders).
• Based on the data analysis of the behavioral experiment policy, recommendations will be developed and presented to the Ministry of Environment, to contribute to the formation of policies and regulations.

Expected Outcome/Impact

• 6,000 participants of the behavioral experiment start using tote bags (for 6 months);
• Another 4,000 bags distributed within the frame of the project;
• Over 10,000 people are aware of harm caused by plastic pollution;
• At least 4 public social advertisements created on the topic;
• Analytic report created based on the data collected from behavioral experiment;
• Evidence based policy recommendations developed;
• New business opportunities for SME working in textile business to produce tote bags;
• Reduced number of plastic waste in the environment;
• Environmentally conscious new generation.

The project is funded by My Step Charitable Foundation, the UNDP-implemented Global Environment Facility’s Small Grants Programme and the Office of UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia.

Due to the emergency situation (COVID-19), there were changes in the “Awareness Raising Campaign" component of the Project. The events to be held in the regional schools have been replaced by an online social media campaign, and the reusable bags, printing materials, along with food packages and tablets have been distributed to teenagers.