Panama City, February 10, 2026. As part of the Circular Cities Project: Beyond Plastic, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as the implementing agency and the UNEP Cartagena Convention Secretariat (UNEP-CEP) as the executing agency, the first consultancy is being launched to identify unnecessary plastics across economic sectors and provide alternatives for their elimination or substitution. This initiative aims to contribute to reducing plastic pollution and its leakage into waterways and the Caribbean Sea.
In Panama, the project is implemented locally by the National Association for the Conservation of Nature (ANCON), in coordination with the Ministry of Environment and with the support of the municipalities of Panama and Colón.
Through an open call process, the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Central America and Mexico subregion, hosted at the University of Panama, was selected to carry out the consultancy titled “Baseline Assessment to Identify Unnecessary Plastics Used in Panama and Contributions to the Development of Strategies to Replace Them.”
Through this consultancy, the Basel Convention Regional Centre will conduct a comprehensive analysis to identify unnecessary plastics—either due to their single-use nature or their low or non-existent recyclability—in key sectors such as tourism, logistics, commerce, and fisheries. This process will make it possible to determine what types of plastics are currently being used, the reasons for their use, and the operational needs they address. In turn, this will facilitate the identification of alternatives aimed at their elimination, reduction, or substitution with more sustainable options.
The results of this study, which will be available by the end of May, will serve as a technical foundation for the development of the project’s circular economy strategy, as well as for generating sector-specific agreements and recommendations. Additionally, they will provide key information for decision-making, offering concrete alternatives to help different sectors advance in their transition toward a circular economy.
The Circular Cities Project: Beyond Plastic is being implemented in three countries—Panama, Colombia, and Jamaica—and carried out in six municipalities. Through its implementation, policies and pilot actions for the elimination and reduction of plastics will be promoted, enabling economic activities in the districts of Panama and Colón to incorporate circularity strategies into their operations, alongside a strong environmental education component aimed at the general population.
This signing ceremony formally marks the launch of a consultancy that reflects the interinstitutional commitment to advancing sustainable solutions to the challenges posed by plastic use in Panama. The public, private sector, academic institutions, and organized groups are invited to join the activities of this consultancy and the actions of the Circular Cities: Beyond Plastic project. Stay informed about the progress of activities through ANCON’s platforms and the project’s website.
