Program for local and urban sustainability performance evaluation of USAID"s ocean plastics portfolio to inform the Save Our Seas initiative : final evaluation report

This formative performance evaluation of USAID’s ocean plastics portfolio gathered evidence from USAID activities in Peru, the Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Vietnam to inform future SOS Initiative decision making and program design. Findings indicate that USAID programming has empowered local actors to identify and implement local solutions, and to some extent sustain them. Additionally, technical assistance to subnational and national governments has begun the process of institutionalizing USAID"s approach in many of the partner countries. A not yet fully-realized opportunity for implementing USAID’s building blocks would come from expanding programming to include more upstream policy and social and behavior change (SBC) interventions to reduce single-use plastics. Challenges included shorter project timelines, regulatory and market gaps for plastic alternative products, and limited engagement with larger private sector players. In addition to strengthening waste management, the evaluation underscores the need for SBC initiatives and the integration of upstream circular economy principles in programming. Refill and reuse pilots showed potential but faced COVID-19 disruptions. Recommendations include continuing to empower local actors, combining palliative interventions such as beach cleanups and river traps with data collection to help upstream policy, funding local solutions that have a material impact on plastic reduction, strengthening policy linkages, continuing to invest in technical assistance and knowledge exchange, continuing to adapt and apply tools and training, customizing program design for small islands and underserved areas, focusing on reductions, refillables, and alternatives to tackle low-value plastics, advocating and providing technical assistance for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks, and creating enabling environments for reduction policies through applied research and incentive structures.