The Alliance to End Plastic Waste, based in Singapore, has reported to stakeholders that it has successfully redirected nearly 120,000 metric tons of discarded plastic away from the environment and extracted value from almost 130,000 metric tons of plastic, primarily through recycling, since its inception in 2019.

Source: RecyclingToday

The 35-page report, initiated by Duer and Jim Fitterling, CEO of Dow and board chair of the Alliance, highlights the organization's role as an incubator and a testing ground for innovative solutions to combat plastic pollution.

Since its establishment in 2019, the Alliance has backed over 80 projects worldwide, with 52 projects currently active globally, including 21 in Southeast or South Asia and 12 in sub-Saharan Africa.

In Durban, South Africa, a project funded by the Alliance has gathered more than 17,500 metric tons of discarded plastic and successfully mechanically recycled over 15,800 metric tons.

When selecting projects, we look for opportunities to fill crucial gaps in research, waste management or recycling that will give a boost in their local or regional context

Similar initiatives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Nairobi, Kenya; Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and five cities in India have collected smaller quantities of plastic, with potential for expansion.

Numerous Alliance-supported projects, especially in those cities, aim to enhance working conditions and compensation for waste pickers, who play a crucial role in the initial stages of plastic collection and recycling.

The Alliance to End Plastic Waste’s unique operating model gives us the flexibility to experiment and develop untested ideas. That is crucial to advancing solutions that enable plastic circularity and reduce unmanaged waste because we can de-risk promising ideas that can then be scaled and replicated. The projects we support are carefully chosen with that in mind.

In India, the Alliance collaborates with the African Reclaimers Organisation to raise awareness about the efforts of reclaimers and advocate for their recognition within the community.

The annual report showcases various projects involving the recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics.

In South Africa, informal waste pickers—known locally as reclaimers—largely remain invisible, despite being critical contributors to waste management

The Alliance to End Plastic Waste is a coalition of forward-thinking CEOs committed to establishing a circular economy for plastic. The organization has brought together around 70 companies from different sectors of the plastics value chain, such as brand owners, resin producers, converters, waste managers, recyclers, and technology providers.