Corporate social responsibility and Pro bono are entwined in our DNA because our people believe deeply in making the world a better place are committed to the environment and our social impact.
A&K embraced Flipflopi's vision with the end in mind. Managing Partner Karim Anjarwalla has been a member of the Flipflopi Advisory Board since the onset and has been instrumental in providing guidance on its operations. He has also been integral in championing the cause in the firm and with our clients. A&K has supported Flipflopi through the provision of pro bono legal assistance to help the organisation set up and run its operations, including tax, employment, real estate, and compliance
In March 2021, the Flipflopi team took their message in the fight against single-use plastic pollution to the shores of Lake Victoria by organising various activities between three East African countries (Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda) to raise awareness and inspire communities to adopt circular-waste solutions to beat plastic pollution on Lake Victoria and other environmental challenges. A&K brought together its ALN member firms from Uganda and Tanzania to support the expedition in their respective countries and contribute towards the proposed single-use plastics bill.
Currently, we have partnered with The Flipflopi to champion the environmental legislative agenda at an East African Community (EAC) level through the drafting and introduction of legislation to ban the use and manufacture of specific single-use plastics in the EAC and have drafted a single-use plastics bill to be presented before the EAC Legislative Assembly for consideration and review. We have also prepared a report that supports an increased understanding of existing regulations relating to single-use plastic and provides a foundation for the adoption of streamlined legislation and collaborative action in the EAC to regulate the production of plastics. The next phase involves stakeholder engagement and creating awareness and support of the bill.
By working with the Flipflopi on the legislative process, we aim to bring the bill to the East African Legislative Assembly to push for regional consensus on the issue. With this law in place, EAC member states will be required to adopt and enforce legislation to ban certain specified single-use plastic products and promote sustainable and non-toxic re-usable products and re-use systems in place of single-use plastic products, to reduce the quantity of waste generated in the community.
A&K is driving the sustainable development agenda in partnership with Flipflopi through advocacy for legislative change to curb the use of single-use plastic across the East Africa region and tackling the effects of single-use plastic by educating current and future generations in Africa and beyond to change people's daily habits by eliminating and reducing waste from single-use plastic products.
Working with The Flipflopi has also inspired A&K to reduce its use of single-use plastic by replacing them with re-usable glass and aluminium/steel bottles and containers for our client meetings and events.
A&K will continue to offer their expertise on a Pro bono basis on the single-use plastic bill and the legislative process and support the team with legal and technical advice for running their operations.
Discover more about the plastic revolution efforts from the Flipflopi Project 2021 report here.
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