The Prevention of Marine Litter in the Lakshadweep Sea (PROMISE) is a 4-year project (2020-2024) supported by the European Union (EU) under the SWITCH Asia Programme. MNU is the lead implementing partner of the project supported by the European Union (EU) under the SWITCH Asia Programme. The project was concluded in December 2025.

Tourism industries have been identified as major contributors to marine litter due to high consumption rates of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and convenience products wrapped in single-use plastic packaging. In many touristic regions of the global south, this is aggravated by the absence of effective policy frameworks, a lack of consumer awareness and insufficient capacities of local authorities to handle the increasing solid waste. The Maldives, Sri Lanka and India have undergone substantial growth in tourism clusters located along their shorelines of the Lakshadweep Sea. While this has increased the economic well-being of the local population, these developments have also come at a high price.

The PROMISE project responds to this by preventing leakage of wastes from land-based sources into the Lakshadweep Sea in line with a Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) approach. To achieve the desired impact, the activities target tourism clusters located along the Lakshadweep shorelines in the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India.

The project attempted to address the following:

• Map out and identify the sources and consequences of marine litter along the Lakshadweep shorelines.
• Support MSMEs from tourism clusters in the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India in implementing waste minimisation options in their business operations and overarching strategies.
• Enable access to finance for MSMEs to implement high cost waste minimisation options.
• Strengthen regional policy frameworks for waste management in coastal areas and contribute to reduced waste generation and littering in all three target countries.
• Conceptualisation and initiation of ‘Lakshadweep Zero-Waste Alliance’.
• Sensitise wider stakeholder network about the approaches to waste prevention

The PROMISE project contributes to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its focus on preventing marine litter, promoting sustainable resource use, strengthening livelihoods, and fostering regional cooperation. The project contributes particularly to SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13 – Climate Action, SDG 14 – Life Below Water, and SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals. Through these areas, PROMISE supports more sustainable economic activities, improved waste and resource management, protection of marine ecosystems, climate-responsive practices, and collaboration among countries and partner institutions to address marine pollution.

The PROMISE project had achieved several significant outcomes in addressing marine litter and promoting sustainable waste management. A total of 300 MSMEs implemented waste-minimisation measures, while more than 100 policymakers were sensitised to marine litter issues through 10 policy roundtables. More than 50 representatives from financial institutions were engaged on zero-waste business cases, helping to strengthen awareness of sustainable financing opportunities.

The project also supported extensive community action, with more than 3,000 tourists and citizens participating in beach clean-up activities. These efforts resulted in the collection of over 750 tonnes of waste, which was directed towards closed-loop recycling. In addition, 10 policy solution prototypes were developed to support the prevention of marine litter. The project also facilitated the establishment of the Lakshadweep Zero Waste Alliance (LOWA), providing a collaborative platform to advance long-term action on waste reduction and marine litter prevention.