BeMed 2023 awardees !

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 :

Review of the situation in Cyprus regarding the use and import of single-use plastic bags, and analysis of the implementation of the law banning these bags, combined with an awareness raising campaign – Together Cyprus, Cyprus

Mapping of public and private actors offering drinking water refill points and promotion of alternatives to single-use plastic water bottles through awareness raising campaigns – OMNIA, Cyprus

Implementation of a participatory science protocol on microplastics in ten schools, the data collected will be incorporated into existing databases – SciCo, Greece

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

Replication of the setting up of a sorting centre in Bizerte, accompanied by awareness raising on selective sorting for 5 schools, fishermen and the tourism sector – Tunisie Recyclage, Tunisia

Capacity building for the collection and treatment of waste from fishing and mussel farming and exploration of ways to improve practices in the sector, including reusable alternatives, in collaboration with fishermen – iSea, Greece

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

Creation of an “Eco-patrol” in a river canyon, and implementation of waste collection systems and monitoring protocols to effectively reduce plastic pollution – Sub-Merus, Croatia

Extension of the network of environmentally friendly public toilets in Spain and location of these on an interactive map to raise awareness of reusable sanitary products – Rezero, Spain

Organisation of awareness raising sessions, clean-up campaigns in schools, municipalities and local businesses in the Tyre region of Lebanon – Alissar Lebanon, Lebanon

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 :