Online polls conducted by the the UNDP Accelerator Lab in Ghana and TroTro Diaries (a large Facebook community) point to the public’s increasing preference for environmentally-friendly packaging, and concerns about excessive use of plastic bags (multiple-bagging). However there are also concerns about the affordability of alternatives to plastic packaging.

A field experiment was conducted at commuter stations (TroTro stations) in Ghana’s capital city Accra, focusing on food-vendors who sell a popular breakfast porridge (Koko). In the experiment, the vendors offered their customers free branded paper cups (supplied by UNDP), instead of the usual multiple, single-use plastics bags. The aim was to test the hypothesis that the free offer would influence customer behavior,  support customers to develop new environmentally friendly habits, and over time reduce the use of plastic bags.

The results point to a willingness to use alternatives to plastic packaging. Overall, the report highlights the need for more targeted and innovative awareness campaigns to sustain behavior change in communities, and the significant investment potential for innovative packaging and business processes to tackle plastic pollution  in Ghana. 

Download the report to read more.