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TRANSITION AND SOLUTIONS | 75

MICRO-INITIATIVES
12 BeMed 2021 winners

working towards a plastic-free Mediterranean

Single-use plastic has made a comeback in a big
way due to the pandemic, increasing pollution which France
threatens the planet’s health. To continue to tackle Slovenia
the scope of this environmental scourge in a badly Croatia
hit region, the BeMed association has repeated its Bosnia-Herzegovina
call for micro-initiatives. Five years after it was foun- Spain Montenegro
ded, its Mediterranean network - which works to im- Albania
plement sustainable solutions and share best prac- Italy Turkey
tices - has expanded to new stakeholders.
Greece
Syria
During the press conference held on 24 March Malta Cyprus
2021 at the Monaco Yacht Club, BeMed revealed Morocco Tunisia Lebanon
12 winning projects in 9 countries in the Medi- Israel
terranean region. H.E. Mr Bernard Fautrier, chair Algeria Palestine
of BeMed, opened the meeting, focusing on the
vulnerability of the Mediterranean and “the need to Libya Egypt
encourage positive action models to take care of
our shared sea”. The winners presented the outline
of their project. Ultimately, thanks to the support of KEY
the deputy of Alpes-Maritimes Alexandra Valetta-Ar- organisations supported since 2015
disson, Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur, Communauté actions selected in 2021
d’agglomérations de la Riviera française and other
public inter-communal cooperation bodies will work
alongside BeMed to combat plastic pollution. There
were plans to sign a partnership agreement at the
end of the conference, but this had to be delayed for
health reasons. But the support of these municipali-
ties is already in place.

PROFILE DID YOU KNOW?

Hosted by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, Plastic accumulated in the
the BeMed association enjoys the generous support of Mediterranean is estimated at
the Primat Foundation and the Aether Fund for Future around 1.2 million tonnes over the
Generations for its call for micro-initiatives. last 10 years. The concentration of
microplastics in its waters makes it
one of the most polluted seas in the
world.
(source: UICN, « The Mediterranean:
Mare plasticum », 2020)