Due to its semi-enclosed geography and the intensity of human activity it concentrates, the Mediterranean is one of the most plastic-polluted seas in the world. Plastic pollution is one of the major environmental blights of our century. Limiting the use of non-essential plastics is therefore essential to avoid exacerbating an already serious problem.
There are several existing projects in place aiming to reduce plastic pollution all around the Mediterranean basin and it is BeMed’s mission to support these initiatives. Through its annual call for micro-initiatives, BeMed encourages the sharing of knowledge and strives to facilitate dialogue and create a momentum within the network.
In 2023, 11 new projects in 6 different countries will join this network :
Training of local tourism companies on the reduction of single-use plastics and raising awareness of the public through actions on the beaches – Municipality of Agia Napa, Cyprus
Co-construction with schoolchildren of awareness-raising tools on plastic pollution and its effects on health and the environment, to be used with a variety of local stakeholders – Club des activités de plongée de Bizerte, Tunisia
Working with supermarkets and locals to eliminate the use of plastic bags on the island by developing a bag production unit from unused hotel sheets and fabric scraps – Association for the Ecological and Sustainable Development of Elafonisos, Greece
The BeMed network now extends to 15 different countries with a total of 93 projects supported. The yellow dots indicate the location of the organisations supported since 2015 and the blue dots indicate the actions selected in 2023.
BeMed is generously supported by the Didier and Martine Primat Foundation and the Aether Fund of the Foundation for Future Generations for its call for micro-initiatives.
BeMed is hosted by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
You can watch the announcement of the 2023 winners in its entirety on our youtube channel, or by clicking directly on the embedded video player below :