Discover the awardees of the 8th call for micro-initiatives

In 2024, BeMed will support 14 local initiatives aimed at raising awareness and reducing plastic pollution in the Mediterranean. To strengthen its support for local stakeholders, BeMed is committed to facilitate dialogue as well as creating a dynamic of exchange and sharing within a network of stakeholders committed to a plastic-free Mediterranean Sea.

Numerous scientific studies consider the Mediterranean to be the most polluted sea in the world. Since its creation, BeMed has been committed to supporting efforts to fight plastic pollution, especially through its call for micro-initiatives. To enhance the effectiveness and scope of the projects it supports, BeMed aims to facilitate exchanges of experience and good practice within the network of stakeholders it supports. Since 2015, BeMed has supported 92 projects, representing an investment of €1.3 million.

In 2024, 14 new projects from 9 different countries will join the BeMed network.

The following initiatives will receive financial and technical support from BeMed :

  • Reducing plastic pollution by installing litter bins, organising clean-up events, and creating awareness panels to discourage residents from throwing rubbish into rivers – Municipality of Fushe Arrez, Albania
  • Promotion and expansion of the “Bring Your Cup” movement, encouraging people to bring their own cups to takeaway outlets, through support for the private sector and an extensive communications campaign – Cyprus Environment Foundation, Cyprus
  • Reduction in the use of single-use plastics at several sporting events and capacity-building for environmental protection associations in 4 Egyptian coastal towns – Banlastic Egypt, Egypt
  • Creation of an awareness-raising card game on the impact of plastic for schools, associations and sailing schools – DelTa, Italy
  • Creation of an awareness-raising podcast with and by young Sicilians, and integration of practical awareness-raising work into school curricula – Associazione Ulisse ETS, Italy
  • Support for the Environmental Protection Agency as a pilot institution for the elimination of single-use plastics on their premises and creation of a best practice guide – Zero Waste Montenegro, Montenegro
  • Case study of 10 families to find out the impact of their children’s awareness-raising activities on parents, and creation of a guide for parents. – Network for Children’s Rights, Greece
  • Reducing the use of single-use plastics at one of Albania’s biggest music festivals and providing feedback to other stakeholders with a view to replicating the approach – Active Mobility, Albania
  • Helping the HoReCa sector to reduce their plastic footprint through “Plastic-free Balearics” certification and turning waste such as broken parasols, wetsuits and fishing nets into economically viable objects – Menorca Preservation Fund, Spain
  • Helping Greek hotel and restaurant owners reduce their consumption of single-use plastics and improve their waste management – MedVenture, Greece
  • Characterisation of plastic pollution, raising visitor awareness and improving waste management on Galite Island – Association Méditerranée Action Nature (MAN), Tunisia
  • Raising awareness, mobilising, and involving local stakeholders, in particular the HoReCa sector and the island’s inhabitants, to apply the 3Rs and make Tinos an island with zero plastic waste – Social Cooperative Entreprise Kalloni-Kellia, Greece
  • Support for Moroccan agricultural sectors in reducing the production of plastic waste – Engineering Business Leaders, Morocco
  • Organisation of sampling campaigns, beach clean-ups and artistic upcycling workshops to raise schoolchildren’s awareness of plastic pollution – Tunsea Association for Participatory Science, Tunisia

Micro-initiatives are financed thanks to the generous support from the Didier et Martine Primat Foundation, the Aether Fund for Future Generations, the Fond Français pour l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM), the Vilebrequin Foundation, and the Sancta Devota Foundation