Monday, September 14 2026
Monday, September 14 2026
MONETABRIEF – The European Union is providing research grants for universities in Sri Lanka to gather data and study the single use of plastics through food value chains in a bid to move into other alternatives.
European Union-funded CIRCULAR project, new research will help address these gaps by generating evidence to inform policy, business practices and more sustainable choices.
Three research grants totalling €110,000 to research teams led by the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Ruhuna, and the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Computing at the University of Kelaniya.
"Together, the studies will examine the use, flow and impacts of single-use plastics (SUPs) across selected food and beverage value chains in the Colombo and Galle Districts," the EU Delegation office in Colombo said.
"The research will also seek to identify practical opportunities to reduce plastic use, promote more sustainable alternatives and strengthen circular economy practices."
"The new research will help provide a more detailed understanding of these patterns, supporting more targeted and evidence-based action."
The lack of information and data limited the ability of ability of policymakers, businesses and other stakeholders to pinpoint where plastic use can be reduced most effectively and to assess which interventions could deliver the greatest impact.
Mahmoud Gaballah, CIRCULAR Project Manager at Expertise France, said the project will generate evidence for better decision-making and also strengthen the collaboration between researchers, policymakers and practitioners
The CIRCULAR project is funded by the European Union and co-funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
It is jointly implemented by Expertise France, the Food and Agriculture Organization and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH. (Colombo/Sept14/2026)
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