Sri Lanka, EU sign €15mn agreement to promote circular economy in food sector

The Sri Lankan government and the European Union (EU) have signed a financing agreement to promote a circular economy and sustainable consumption and production in the food sector. 

The grant of EUR 15 million from the EU aims to increase food availability for vulnerable people through more efficient distribution channels/mechanisms of food, avoiding food waste and/or convert food waste into much needed farming inputs like organic fertilizer, animal feed, etc.

“Sri Lanka face numerous challenges, from resource scarcity to effective protection of environmental and other resources. Within these challenges, however, lies an opportunity to adopt a circular economy model that can transform the development of new technologies, business models, and entrepreneurship and innovation, that foster a thriving economy,” said Moreno Carmen, Ambassador of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

“Promoting circular economy practices is vital for the country to mitigate the risk of crises in the future and to establish food security and sustainability. The European Union is pleased to support Sri Lanka’s improve the food surplus/waste recovery system and food producers,” Carmen said further.

The EU grant ‘Promoting a Circular Economy in the Food Sector’ amounts to EUR 15 million. Following the signature of the agreement, the EU will proceed to contract implementing partners for the delivery of the support.

The action is aligned with the Paris Agreement, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and more particularly the external dimension of EU policies under the EU Green Deal and more directly to SDG 12 on responsible consumption and production. It will also contribute to Sri Lanka’s commitments under the 2021 updated National Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the implementation of the National Policy on Sustainable Consumption and Production. 

The project supports the economic crisis in Sri Lanka by building economic resilience and improving food security and nutrition while reducing impact of human activities on human and animal health, the environment, biodiversity, and more generally on the transportation and disposal contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

Project activities align with following specific objectives: 
• To reduce losses and increase recovery, processing and supply of edible and safe food surplus and/or waste management for the benefit of vulnerable consumers and/or food producers. 
• To enhance effectiveness of the sustainable production, distribution and consumption models related to food waste/loss and single use plastic food packaging.