Alliance to End Plastic Waste unveils ‘larger-scale’ Strategy 2030

In its Progress Report 2024: Evolving for Impact, the non-profit confirmed it will shift from a broad portfolio of smaller projects to “larger-scale, integrated efforts”.

Jacob Duer, President and CEO at the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, said: “As we mark five years of action, our focus is sharper than ever. The experience we’ve gained from projects across emerging economies has made clear what works, and where we must go next.

“Our Strategy 2030 builds on those lessons, and we are doubling down on what works to drive greater impact at scale.”

Larger programmes, targeted priorities

Under the revised approach, the Alliance will co-develop programmes with national governments, development finance institutions (DFIs) and private sector partners.

The initiatives will fall into two categories:

• Country-specific programmes, starting with India, Indonesia and South Africa
• Thematic initiatives to address global barriers to plastics circularity, beginning with flexible plastics

The Alliance intends to expand its use of blended finance, concessional funding and public–private investment partnerships to unlock the capital required to improve waste management infrastructure.

It looks to scale up efforts in the selected focus countries and target systemic issues such as collection gaps, low recycling rates, and a lack of markets for recycled content.

Tracy Campbell, Chair of the Board, Alliance to End Plastic Waste, commented: “By aligning industries, governments, and communities around proven solutions, we can accelerate real, global progress toward ending plastic waste, the Alliance will continue to drive progress on the ground while sharing insights with partners ready to shape a circular, more sustainable future.”

2024 outlook

Since its launch in 2019, the Alliance reported that it has:

• Reduced unmanaged plastic waste by 239,985 tonnes
• Valorised (recycled or otherwise put to productive use) 253,212 tonnes of plastic
• Created 2,134 formal jobs through project investments
• Mobilised US$610.89 million in funding commitments from third parties and impact investors, in addition to its own capital
• Supported six independently assured projects, including the African Reclaimers Organisation in South Africa and Recicleiros in Brazil

In January, the Alliance published its latest Solution Model playbook on mechanical recycling, suggesting an approach to reintroducing mixed-plastic-waste streams back into the value chain.