Digital Innovations for a Circular Plastic Economy in Africa

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest challenges of the twenty-first century that requires innovative and varied solutions. Focusing on sub-Saharan Africa, this book brings together interdisciplinary, multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder perspectives exploring challenges and opportunities for utilising digital innovations to manage and accelerate the transition to a circular plastic economy (CPE). This book is organised into three sections bringing together discussion of environmental conditions, operational dimensions and country case studies of digital transformation towards the circular plastic economy. It explores the environment for digitisation in the circular economy, bringing together perspectives from practitioners in academia, innovation, policy, civil society and government agencies. The book also highlights specific country case studies in relation to the development and implementation of different innovative ideas to drive the circular plastic economy across the three sub-Saharan African regions. Finally, the book interrogates the policy dimensions and practitioner perspectives towards a digitally enabled circular plastic economy. Written for a wide range of readers across academia, policy and practice, including researchers, students, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), digital entrepreneurs, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and multilateral agencies, policymakers and public officials, this book offers unique insights into complex, multilayered issues relating to the production and management of plastic waste and highlights how digital innovations can drive the transition to the circular plastic economy in Africa. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Muyiwa Oyinlola is an associate professor in Engineering for Sustainable Development and Director of the Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development at De Montfort University, UK. A chartered engineer, committed to engineering sustainable solutions for low- and middle-income countries, his work places particular emphasis on identifying and integrating socio-cultural considerations required for the long-term success of engineering projects. He leads the DITCh Plastic Network, a multi-sectoral, international and interdisciplinary network aimed at promoting and supporting digital innovations that can accelerate the circular plastic economy transition in Africa. He is committed to developing processes and products for the circular plastic economy. Oluwaseun Kolade is a professor of Entrepreneurship and Digital Transformation at Sheffield Business School, Sheffield Hallam University, UK. He recently held academic and leadership positions at Leicester Castle Business School, De Montfort University, where he also chaired the African Entrepreneurship Cluster. With an engineering background and a PhD in International Development, Seun's research activities cover the broad areas of transformative entrepreneuring, digital transformation, circular economy, and SMEs' strategies in turbulent environments. Seun is an agile certified practitioner with experience of leading transdisciplinary projects involving international partners across public and private sectors. He has chaired international conferences and is an invited speaker in various international fora.

1 Introduction: A Digitally Enabled Circular Plastic Economy for Africa; PART I The Environment for Digitisation in the Circular Plastic Economy 2 Enabling a Successful Transition to a Circular Plastic Economy in Africa; 3 Digital Technologies and the Regime Complex for Plastics in Nigeria; 4 From Polymers to Microplastics: Plastic Value Chains in Africa; 5 Digital Innovation Ecosystem for the Circular Plastic Economy; PART II Digitisation in Action 6 Utilising Plastic Waste to Create 3D-Printed Products in Sub-Saharan Africa; 7 Blockchains for Circular Plastic Value Chains; 8 Transitioning to a Circular Plastic Economy in West Africa through Digital Innovation: Challenges and the Way Forward; 9 A Multi-stakeholder, Multi-sectoral Approach to a Circular Plastic Economy in Eastern Africa; 10 The Application of Digital Technology in Circular Plastic Economy in Southern Africa: Case Studies of Waste Management Start-ups from Namibia and Zambia; PART III A Digitally Enabled Circular Plastic Economy 11 BIG-STREAM: A Framework for Digitisation in Africa's Circular Plastic Economy; 12 A Plastic Data Exchange Platform for Africa's Circular Plastic Economy Transition; 13 Enhancing Decentralised Recycling Solutions with Digital Technologies; 14 Assessing Plastic Circular Economy Policies and the Use of Digital Technology in Africa; 15 Gender and Digital Innovation on Circular Plastic Economy in Africa; 16 Conclusion: The Future of Digitisation for the Circular Plastic Economy in Africa