World Solve

Develop systems that reduce diversion, duplication, spoilage, and exclusion while protecting the privacy and safety of aid recipients.

Develop locally credible communication systems that address uncertainty, past harm, rumors, and access barriers without stigmatizing hesitant communities.

Establish practical measurement methods and interventions for microplastics moving from rivers and sediments into fish, crops, livestock, and human diets.

Current approaches to pathways for achieving high levels of circularity in the plastics and packaging sectors either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.

Food retail in United States remains heavily dependent on single-use plastic packaging, and affordable, scalable biodegradable alternatives have not reached price parity for small vendors.

Rural clinics in Kenya lose a significant share of temperature-sensitive vaccines to cold-chain breaks between district depots and final delivery points, driven by unreliable electricity, sparse refrigerated transport, and thin logistics staffing.

Last-mile freight delivery in Egypt's congested cities remains dominated by diesel vehicles, and electric alternatives face high upfront costs and inadequate charging infrastructure.

Achieving durable solutions for plastic and microplastic removal from ocean gyres at meaningful scale demands simultaneous progress in fundamental research, engineering integration and socio-technical systems that work for low- and middle-income settings. Existing efforts remain fragmented relative to the magnitude of the challenge.

Rivers feeding into coastal waters near Democratic Republic of Congo carry substantial plastic waste from inland cities, and municipal waste management systems lack the capacity to intercept it before it reaches the ocean.

The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for biotechnologies for engineering microbes that produce biodegradable alternatives to conventional plastics creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.