Casuarina Consulting Submits CLEAN‑EV Project to INVEST BARBADOS- Caribbean Economic Forum 2026

Barbados‑led initiative seeks grant funding for national EV battery policy, circular economy roadmap, and CARICOM toolkit

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – 15 June 2026 – Casuarina Consulting, a Barbados‑based sustainability and policy strategy firm, today announced that it has submitted its CLEAN‑EV (Circular Economy & Lifecycle Action for Electric Vehicles – Waste Prevention) project to the Caribbean Economic Forum 2026 Call for Project Proposals, issued by Invest Barbados. The submission was completed before the 13 June 2026 deadline, and the project is now awaiting confirmation regarding potential selection for presentation at the Forum, scheduled for 18‑19 June 2026 at the Hilton Barbados Resort.

CLEAN‑EV addresses a critical gap in Barbados’ energy transition: the absence of any national policy, legislation, or infrastructure for the safe disposal, recycling, or second‑life use of lithium‑ion EV batteries. With 89 electric buses, the largest fleet in the Caribbean and rapidly rising private EV adoption, the first wave of bus batteries will retire between 2028 and 2032. Without immediate action, toxic chemicals could leak into Barbados’ sole freshwater aquifer, and fire hazards that the Barbados Fire Service has said are difficult to manage will increase.

The CLEAN‑EV project seeks a grant of USD 85,523 (equivalent to BDS 171,045) to deliver three integrated outputs over 12 months:

A Cabinet‑ready statutory instrument amending the Environmental Management Act to classify EV batteries as hazardous waste and mandate Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), shifting disposal costs from taxpayers to importers.

A Circular Economy Value Roadmap identifying three second‑life use cases (solar farm storage, telecom tower backup, community centre peak shaving) and a pre‑feasibility study for a local battery repurposing workshop.

An open‑source CARICOM EV Battery Management Toolkit (legal templates, technical guidelines, training module, finance guide) to enable regional replication at near‑zero cost.

“CLEAN‑EV is a strategic intervention that turns an emerging environmental crisis into a self‑financing circular economy opportunity,” said Ramon Jackman, Founder of Casuarina Consulting. “We are pleased to have submitted the proposal to Invest Barbados and await confirmation on whether the project will be presented at the Caribbean Economic Forum. Regardless of the outcome, we remain committed to advancing this critical policy framework for Barbados and the region.”

The project builds on Casuarina’s existing EV battery policy draft and draws on the firm’s track record, which includes the Caribbean Tourism Resilience Initiative (CTRI) – shortlisted by the United Nations from nearly 100 global applicants.

About Casuarina Consulting

Casuarina Consulting is a Barbados‑based sustainability consulting and policy strategy firm specialising in circular economy frameworks, regulatory design, and regional replication toolkits for small island developing states.