The disposable plastics system in Kenya. Rapid immersive field study.
In July 2018 we went to Kenya to build a foundational understanding of the disposable plastics system by looking at it through the lens of the recently imposed ban on plastic carrier bags.
Working on this project we pursued two goals.
Firstly, we wanted to obtain a holistic view of the disposable plastics system by looking closely into its key actors, their relationships and how they affect the system’s outcomes.
Secondly, we sought to identify leverage points or opportunity areas and prototype how innovators might engage with the system to move it toward desired outcomes (i.e. business, social and environmental).
We started by mapping out everyone involved in or affected by the ban on plastic bags to direct our study in the field.
Our idea was to use the ban as an entry point into understanding a larger system. We thought that everyone involved or affected by the ban would likely be amongst the key actors of the disposable plastics system. They would be the ones enabling or inhibiting the negative outcome that we are looking into — i.e. plastic waste — and, therefore, are the people and the organisations we would want to interview when we get to Kenya.
