Monaco, 10 March 2025 – 10 years ago, Beyond Plastic Med (BeMed) was launched to combat plastic pollution in the Mediterranean. Initiated by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Tara Océan Foundation, Surfrider Foundation Europe, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the MAVA Foundation, BeMed brought together stakeholders from civil society, science and business to tackle this major challenge.
Here’s a closer look at 10 years of commitment to combating plastic pollution in the Mediterranean.
Philippe Mondielli, scientific director at the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation:
‘Ten years ago, plastic pollution was already a significant issue, but it received much less media coverage. In response to a call for projects, we received a proposal from Surfrider Europe to organise an international conference on the subject. This gave rise to a real dynamic between the various stakeholders. To continue this effort, we decided to create BeMed.’
A source of continuous financing
Since its creation, BeMed has been committed to supporting stakeholders in the field through its call for micro-initiatives. BeMed has launched 10 calls for projects and supported 113 projects across the Mediterranean. In 2020 and 2024, BeMed also launched 2 calls for projects in the Mediterranean islands to preserve island areas.
The creation of a community of stakeholders in the field
It all started with a simple idea: ‘Together we are stronger.’ It is in this spirit that BeMed has created a community bringing together, to date, 94 organisations that share their best practices and work together to have a greater impact in the fight against plastic pollution.
Creation of a multi-stakeholder dialogue
‘With BeMed, we have fostered a dialogue between science, industry and society. Why? Because the challenge of reducing global plastic pollution is above all a business challenge. For companies, the plastic transition is a one-off opportunity, it is a big investment and they cannot afford to get it wrong.’ mentions Romain Troublé, Managing Director of the Tara Ocean Foundation.
Supporting the transition of hotels to sustainable tourism
In 2022, a pilot project with the InterContinental Marseille – Hôtel Dieu proved that it is possible to limit single-use plastics by reducing costs and without impacting the quality of service. The initiative was then rolled out at the La Badira hotel in Tunisia, which eliminated thousands of plastic packages.
‘Companies are a formidable lever for reducing plastic in the Mediterranean. The Business Club supports the retail, food and hospitality sectors. As such, more than 100,000 customers have been made aware of the issue and 2 hotel guides have been published,’ says Antidia Citores, former spokesperson at Surfrider Europe and General Manager of Green Marine Europe.
Mercedes Muñoz Cañas, Head of the Marine Biodiversity and Blue Economy Programme at the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation:
“In 2024, we launched the BeMed+ project, which aims to capitalise on all the work carried out by the BeMed association over 10 years to reduce plastic pollution in the Mediterranean. The project includes two pilot areas, in Monastir, Tunisia and on the Shkumbin River in Albania, with the support of Surfrider Foundation, IUCN, and the Institute for Nature Conservation in Albania, and the NGO Notre Grand Bleu in Tunisia.”
– 113 projects supported since 2015
– 94 organisations supported since 2015
– 15 Mediterranean countries
– 4 million euros invested
– 10 multinationals members of the Business Club
Financial support:
The BeMed association is supported by the Fonds Français pour l’Environnement Mondial, the Fondation Didier et Martine Primat, the Fondation Veolia, Chanel, the Aether Fund of the Foundation for Future Generations, the Région Sud, the Fondation Vilebrequin, the Fondation Sancta Devota, Kresk 4 Oceans, and the Fondation Audemars-Watkins.
BeMed is also supported and hosted by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
