Nearly 30 companies from the plastics and consumer goods value chain launched the new “Alliance to End Plastic Waste” (AEPW). The goal is to develop and bring to scale solutions that will minimize and manage plastic waste, and promote solutions for used plastics by helping to enable a circular economy. 

Commitment across the plastic value chain
The Alliance has committed over 1.0 billion U.S. dollars with the goal of investing 1.5 billion over the next five years to help end plastic waste in the environment. Members are chemical and plastic manufacturers, consumer goods companies, retailers, converters, and waste management companies. The Alliance has been working with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development as a founding strategic partner.

Founding member Henkel (henkel.com) says that by 2025, 100 percent of the company's packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable (excluding adhesives where residue may affect recyclability). As well, 35 percent of the packaging of Henkel’s consumer products in Europe will include recycled plastics.

Berry Global (berryglobal.com), another founding member, also partners with key organizations to encourage recycling as well as internal efforts to improve product recyclability and increase offerings with recycled content. The company is eager to collaborate with the Alliance to develop and deploy systems to better collect and manage post-use plastics in support of a more circular economy.

The global Alliance has the mission to advance solutions to eliminate plastic waste in the environment, especially in the ocean. Therefore, it will develop and execute Alliance-sponsored projects along with individual, company-directed investments that drive progress in four key areas:

• Infrastructure development to collect and manage waste and increase recycling
• Innovation to advance and scale new technologies that make recycling and recovering plastics easier and create value from all post-use plastics
• Education and engagement of governments, businesses, and communities to mobilize action
• Clean up of concentrated areas of plastic waste already in the environment, particularly the major conduits