PROGRESS REPORT 2023
ADVANCING CIRCULARITY
SOLUTIONS FOR CHANGE
Contents
Tackling plastic pollution requires a systems change in the way we deal with waste around
the world. The challenge is huge and solutions differ from country to country, but the
Alliance to End Plastic Waste believes that with deep and wide collaboration, we can make
a significant difference.
Our mission is to help foster that change by testing and evolving solutions for circularity.
Through our projects around the world, we evaluate and demonstrate approaches that work.
By combining that experience and expertise, we catalyse broader action through documented
Solution Models — recipes for success that others can follow and adapt.
The Alliance convenes partners from the public and private sectors, as well as wider civil society.
We invite others to build on the Solution Models we have developed by adapting, replicating
and improving them, to contribute to the development of a circular economy for plastic.
03
Chair’s Message
04
President &
CEO’s Message
05
Impact Metrics
at a Glance
10
Advancing
Circularity:
Solutions for Change
11
Developing &
Testing Solution
Models
14
Testing Solutions
for Change
23
Enabling the
Ecosystem
34
Financial
Overview
31
Global Network
& Governance
28
Equity & the
Informal Sector
25
Catalysing Capital
In 2023, the Alliance and its partners have collectively
made important strides in its journey to help advance
a circular economy for plastics. The work in solving the
plastic pollution problem presents many challenges –
particularly in developing countries – but the group’s
focus on taking what succeeds, replicating and
scaling it, is beginning to deliver real impact.
Chair’s Message
JIM FITTERLING
Chair of the Board, Alliance to End Plastic Waste
Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Dow
The Alliance was established by engaged,
global business leaders with a clear
mission to end plastic waste entering
the environment and to create circular
systems that keep materials and products
in use for as long as possible. Five years
on, it convenes more than 70 companies
across the plastic value chain and
engages extensively with local communities,
civil society groups, intergovernmental
organisations, and national and local
governments around the world.
Getting to this point has been a story
of innovation and perseverance with
on-the-ground successes — but also has
underlined the scope of the plastic waste
problem, and how difficult systems
change is to effect. The Alliance cannot
tackle the global plastic waste challenge
alone and its unique approach embodies
that reality. Technology, ecosystem, and
business model guidance — combined
with project implementation experience
and meaningful funding — encourages
additional large-scale external investment.
As the Board Chair since January 2022,
I am delighted to see the progress that has
been made and the ongoing evolution of
the organisation to live up to its vision
and mission. My fellow directors and I will
continue to guide and steward the Alliance’s
contributions to address the complex
challenges presented by plastic waste,
ensuring its investments and actions catalyse
the systems change that is so needed.
Over the course of 2023, the Alliance actively
engaged over 900 organisations through its
work. The Alliance has established itself as
an incubator and laboratory for innovative
solutions to address plastic waste. A case
in point is the current collaboration with
Saahas Waste Management Private Limited
to support some of India’s vulnerable
sanitation workers. Under the Let’s
Transform initiative, Saahas builds ethical
supply chains and seeks to improve the lives
of informal waste pickers while diverting
low-value plastics from the environment.
Altogether, the cumulative impact of all
ongoing projects in the Alliance’s global
portfolio since inception has resulted in over
118,000 tonnes of plastic waste diverted
from the environment or unmanaged
landfills, and over 128,000 tonnes recycled.
Over the last year, the Alliance has
continued to hone its efforts and evolve
the way it measures impact. The Alliance’s
unique ability to bring together expertise,
experience and capital allows it to test
and de-risk solutions to the plastic
pollution problem while creating social
benefit and mitigating climate change.
The aim is to empower others so that the
value of the Alliance’s work extends well
beyond its own projects. One example is
the Plastic Waste Management Framework,
which identifies six categories of waste
management and recycling maturities
globally and outlines specific policies
and actions that can help countries
increase plastic waste collection and
recycling rates.
As the Alliance advances toward 2030,
it will continue to play that role of
convenor, sharing lessons with a wide
network of partners to catalyse existing
and new impact.
The global focus on the problem of
plastic pollution has intensified since
the Alliance was founded. The precise
shape of an International Legally Binding
Instrument on Plastic Pollution will be
decided in the coming months. It is clear
from the formal Intergovernmental
Negotiating Committee discussions to
date that a linear system of production
and consumption of plastics is no longer
tenable, and the world needs to take
significant steps toward circularity.
That will mean integrating solutions
that not only address the challenge of
plastic waste, but also create a circular
economy for plastics. Together, with its
members and partners, the Alliance
looks forward to rolling up its sleeves,
sharing its expertise, and implementing
the final agreement.
This report reflects the Alliance’s progress
in 2023 to demonstrate and de-risk the
financial and technical feasibility of
solutions, as well as their environmental
and social impact.
All of this would not have been possible
without the tireless work of the excellent
team and in-country partners at the
Alliance and the invaluable support that
stakeholders — from member companies,
to partners, financial institutions, and
municipal and national governments —
have been able to provide. I look forward
to even greater collaboration in the years
ahead as the Alliance continues to do
what is needed to capture the value
of plastic as a sustainable material
through the achievement of a circular
economic model.
a. Training informal waste management
micro-entrepreneurs. – Let’s Transform, India
b. Sorting centres in small to medium-sized cities
in Brazil. – Cidades+, Brazil
ALLIANCE TO END PLASTIC WASTE | PROGRESS REPORT 2023
President & CEO’s Message
Since inception, projects supported by
the Alliance increased their direct footprint,
making an appreciable difference to the
lives of people they serve. We diverted
nearly 120,000 tonnes of plastic waste
away from the environment and extracted
value from nearly 130,000 tonnes, largely
through recycling. Within the same span
of time, our behaviour change and
public education programmes have
reached over 270,000 people. In 2023,
our projects have also created over
480 new jobs and almost 8,000 informal
waste workers have benefitted from either
improved income, working conditions,
or social benefits.
Impressive though these numbers are,
the magnitude of the global plastic waste
challenge is such that they are only ever
part of the story. The Alliance is in a
unique position to create lasting impact
that goes beyond the direct output of
our own projects and our funding. We
have the knowledge and expertise to
develop and test new business models
and technologies to unlock solutions that
would otherwise be impossible.
Welcome to the Alliance’s 2023 Progress Report.
With continued global focus on solutions to the
plastic waste challenge, the Alliance’s work to
advance circularity has accelerated, with strong
progress achieved on developing, de-risking, and
communication of solutions that can be scaled.
we engaged with 904 different
organisations, including non-profits and
businesses in the waste management
value chain, as well as policymakers at
local, regional, and national level.
In recent months, global attention has
rightly been focused on the UN-brokered
negotiations to craft an International
Legally Binding Instrument on plastic
pollution. We are fully committed to
the UN process, and we look forward
to playing our part in implementing the
eventual agreement. As an accredited
business and industry representative
to the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) we participate as an
observer in relevant intergovernmental
meetings. We support governments,
upon request, in articulating the
on-the-ground realities of different
policy options. The negotiations and
decision-making are the exclusive
prerogatives of UN Member States.
Come 2024, we will continue our work
with partners to identify and plug key
gaps and blockages in the plastics value
chain that are hindering progress to
circularity. At the same time, we will
maintain a broader scope: focusing
attention on the informal waste workers
JACOB DUER
President & CEO, Alliance to End Plastic Waste
who are so vital to waste management
in many lower income countries.
Improving the lives and the status of
these often-marginalised workers is a
crucial aspect of our work and one that
will be front of mind in this crucial year
for plastics circularity.
In closing, 2023 was a year of significant
progress supported by the continued
evolution of the Alliance’s approach to
ending plastic waste. That evolution will
continue in 2024, as we look to innovate
and execute at scale, supported by an
increasing global consensus on the need
for a circular economy for plastics.
a. Helping vulnerable communities earn new
income by unlocking the value of plastic waste.
– Closing the Loop, Ghana
b. Creating Value from Plastic Waste along the
Yangtze River. – JingSu, China
c.
Site visit with stakeholders in Malang. – Bersih
Indonesia: Eliminasi Sampah Plastik, Indonesia
Key to this effort are the Solution Models
that we began documenting in 2023.
The first two of many Solution Model
playbooks to come were published
in March 2024. These act as proven
blueprints that address plastic waste
leakage and encourage the transition
to a circular economy that can be
used and adapted by others. To date,
10 projects have been assured against
the Solution Models demonstration
criteria, highlighting our commitment
towards robust verification of our
assessment approach and reporting.
Sharing the knowledge and expertise
gathered through our projects since our
inception in 2019 is vital to scaling our
success and making a significant impact
on the global plastic waste problem.
Another way in which we extended
our impact in 2023 was through catalysing
funding from external sources. Since
inception, US$368.8 million in co-funding
has been committed to projects that
advance our mission to end plastic waste
leakage and accelerate the transition
towards a circular economy for plastic.
Integral to the success of our mission
is reaching out to and partnering with
others who share our goals. In 2023,
ALLIANCE TO END PLASTIC WASTE | PROGRESS REPORT 2023
2023 saw another year of increasing impact as our projects around the world continued to develop
and mature. Understanding and accurately measuring the effects of our work is integral to providing an
accurate view of our progress. In doing so, it can inform dialogue and enable trusted engagement among
stakeholders to accelerate our mission. That is why we are on a journey to strengthen our reporting and
convey our full impact through independently assured metrics.
Impact Metrics at a Glance
1,2,3 Assured by DNV
4
The Alliance acknowledges a significant
restatement of funds committed
through our accelerator programme
with Plug and Play following closure
of reporting, resulting in a 46.6% uplift
across reporting periods 2020-2022
and has been checked by our assurer.
US$375
of total revenue collected.
MILLION
US$271
has been allocated to
mission-related activities.
MILLION
SOLUTION ACCELERATOR FUND1
Cumulative Impact since 2019
904
the Alliance has actively engaged to enable
system change, finance and/or develop and
implement our projects and broader initiatives.
ORGANISATIONS
SOLUTION ACCELERATOR FUND2
Impact in 2023
CATALYSED CAPITAL3
Cumulative Impact since 2019
net increase in formal jobs.
NEW JOBS
482
with improved income, working conditions
and/or social benefits.
7,926
INFORMAL
WASTE WORKERS
270,551
engaged through education
programmes.
PARTICIPANTS
US$368
of funding commitments by other parties
and impact investors4.
MILLION
US$289
of catalysed funding commitments that have
been allocated to mission-related activities.
MILLION
10
demonstrating Solution Models.
PROJECTS
118,580
of unmanaged plastic
waste reduced.
TONNES
128,240
of value captured from plastic
waste, primarily through recycling.
TONNES
ALLIANCE TO END PLASTIC WASTE | PROGRESS REPORT 2023
Assurance
Independent Limited Assurance Report to the Directors of
Alliance to End Plastic Waste
Alliance to End Plastic Waste (“AEPW” or “the Alliance”) commissioned
DNV Business Assurance Services UK Limited (“DNV”, “us” or “we”) to
conduct a limited assurance engagement over Selected Information
presented in the Progress Report 2023 (the “Report”) for the reporting
year ended 31st December 2023.
Our Conclusion
On the basis of the work undertaken, nothing came to our attention
to suggest that the Selected Information is not fairly stated and has
not been prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with
the Criteria.
This conclusion relates only to the Selected Information, and is to
be read in the context of this Independent Limited Assurance Report,
in particular the inherent limitations explained overleaf.
*
We note that our limited assurance opinion of the forward-looking information marked with (*) only covers the evaluation of its preparation according to the Criteria, rather than its actual outcome. It is intended to assure stakeholders that the information has been prepared in compliance with the relevant reporting standards,
however it does not guarantee its accuracy and realization in the future.
**
Number of stakeholders (entity / organisation level) that the Alliance or Alliance related initiatives has actively engaged and who have realised or could contribute to improvement in plastic waste management and/or circularity
*** Across all projects.
**** Project ParikraM was sole contributor to this metric.
Key Metrics
Metric Description
Reporting period
Reported value
Unit
Reduced
unmanaged waste
Cumulative reduction in unmanaged plastic waste
Cumulative since inception (FY19)
118,580
tonnes
Reduction in unmanaged plastic waste in 2023
1st January 2023 –
31st December 2023
79,801
tonnes
Potential forecasted capacity installed to collect and
properly manage municipal solid waste****
Cumulative since inception (FY19)
61,200
tonnes
Potential forecasted capacity installed to collect and
properly manage municipal solid waste****
1st January 2023 –
31st December 2023
61,200
tonnes
Capture Value
from Waste
Plastic waste valorised
Cumulative since inception (FY19)
128,240
tonnes
Plastic waste valorised
1st January 2023 –
31st December 2023
89,132
tonnes
Enable ecosystem
Number of organisations engaged**
1st January 2023 –
31st December 2023
904
number
Number of participants reached through education
programmes
Cumulative since inception (FY19)
270,551
number
Number of participants reached through education
programmes
1st January 2023 –
31st December 2023
81,374
number
Mobilise Capital
Total Funding Commitments*
Cumulative since inception (FY19)
757.36
Million
USD
Total Funding Commitments*
1st January 2023 –
31st December 2023
240.08
Million
USD
Total Funding Allocated***
Cumulative since inception (FY19)
560.43
Million
USD
Total Funding Allocated***
1st January 2023 –
31st December 2023
114.66
Million
USD
Total Member Revenue Collected
Cumulative since inception (FY19)
375
Million
USD
Total Member Revenue Collected
1st January 2023 –
31st December 2023
78
Million
USD
Create Social Benefit
Number of new jobs created or informal sector workers
operating under responsible working conditions
1st January 2023 –
31st December 2023
8,408
number
Develop Solution
Models
Number of projects demonstrating Solution Models
Cumulative since inception (FY19)
10
number
Our observations and areas for improvement will be raised in a separate report to AEPW’s Management. Selected observations are
provided below. These observations do not affect our conclusion set out above.
Selected Information
The scope and boundary of our work is restricted to the key metrics included within the Report for reporting periods indicated below
(the “Selected Information”). In addition to the corporate-level data assured below, we also provided limited assurance over selected
project-level data which is signposted throughout the Report.
ALLIANCE TO END PLASTIC WASTE | PROGRESS REPORT 2023
Assurance
Responsibilities of the Directors
of AEPW and DNV
The Directors of AEPW have sole responsibility for:
•
Preparing and presenting the Selected information in
accordance with the Criteria;
•
Designing, implementing and maintaining effective
internal controls over the information and data,
resulting in the preparation of the Selected
Information that is free from material misstatements;
•
Measuring and reporting the Selected Information
based on their established Criteria; and
•
Contents and statements contained within the
Report and the Criteria.
Our responsibility is to plan and perform our work to
obtain limited assurance about whether the Selected
Information has been prepared in accordance with the
Criteria and to report to AEPW in the form of an
independent limited assurance conclusion, based on the
work performed and the evidence obtained. We have not
been responsible for the preparation of the Report.
Key Metrics
Metric Description
Reporting period
Reduced
unmanaged waste
Potential forecasted capacity to recover/use
plastic waste
Cumulative since
inception (FY19)
Potential forecasted capacity to recover/use
plastic waste
1st January 2023 –
31st December 2023
Create Social
Benefit
Number of people with new or improved
access to waste management
Cumulative since
inception (FY19)
Number of people with new or improved
access to waste management
1st January 2023 –
31st December 2023
Number of new jobs created or informal
sector workers operating under
responsible working conditions
Cumulative since
inception (FY19)
We conducted an assurance readiness assessment for the below Impact Metrics that
at the time of assurance were not assurance ready, and therefore not disclosed by the
Alliance. We understand the Alliance continues to develop these further and roll out
its impact reporting approach through working with its partners on the ground in the
next reporting period.
An assurance readiness assessment was also conducted on the following metric:
•
Total Funding Disbursed;
It was decided that this metric would remain as an L2 (level 2) data point and removed
from this assurance scope.
To assess the Selected Information, which includes an assessment of the risk of material
misstatement in the Report, we have used AEPW’s Basis of Reporting (the “Criteria”),
which can be found here. We have not performed any work, and do not express any
conclusion, on any other information that may be published in the Report or on AEPW’s
website for the current reporting period or for previous periods.
Basis of our conclusion
We are required to plan and perform our work in order to consider the risk of material
misstatement of the Selected Information; our work included, but was not restricted to:
•
Conducting interviews with AEPW’s Directors and Management to obtain an
understanding of key processes, systems and controls in place to generate,
aggregate and report the Selected Information.
•
Onsite field visits to below selected Alliance projects. We were free to select these
projects on the basis of materiality and impact.
– Let’s Transform (India),
– Plastic Cycle (Vietnam),
– Inkwazi Isu Project (South Africa),
– MGA Plastic Collection & Recycling Program (Kenya).
•
We note Fuel from Low Value Plastic in Philippines was selected by DNV for a site
visit. However, this could not be carried out because of a fire accident at the site.
It was replaced by Plastic Cycle in Vietnam.
•
DNV conducted additional site visits based on AEPW’s request for those projects
featured in the Progress Report, which included:
– Scaling RESIN8 Solution for Hard to Recycle Plastics (South Africa),
– Paving Green Roads (Singapore),
– Circular Action BV (Brazil),
– Jingsu – Creating Value from Plastic Waste along the Yangtze (China).
•
Remote meeting with Corporate Office to review processes and systems for
preparing and consolidating the data.
•
Performing limited substantive testing on a selective basis of the Selected
Information to check that data had been appropriately measured, recorded,
collated and reported;
•
Reviewing that the evidence, measurements and their scope provided to us by AEPW
for the Selected Information is prepared in line with the Criteria;
•
Assessing the appropriateness of the Criteria for the Selected Information; and
•
Reading the Report and narrative accompanying the Selected Information within it
with regard to the Criteria.
ALLIANCE TO END PLASTIC WASTE | PROGRESS REPORT 2023
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by AEPW to us as part of our review
have been provided in good faith,
is true, complete, sufficient, and
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30 July 2024
Assurance
ALLIANCE TO END PLASTIC WASTE | PROGRESS REPORT 2023
Mitigating climate impact is a relevant additional benefit of the Alliance’s work
in accelerating the transition to plastics circularity.
Diverting plastic waste back into the value chain as the feedstock for new products
displaces the use of hydrocarbon-derived feedstock for the production of virgin
plastics, reduces dependence on waste-to-energy for disposal, and reduces
the risk of open-burning of plastic waste at a dump site, all of which reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
Accurately measuring the life-cycle benefit of plastic waste management
projects is challenging. The nature of Alliance partner projects, the wide-range
of geographic locations, and specific situations they take place will require
a significant effort to determine such impact in a way that is standardised
and can be assured. Robust life-cycle assessment methodologies are still being
developed and tested by the industry, with the underlying assumptions being
critical to the integrity of the modelling. For example, what is the carbon footprint
of a project’s energy supply? Where has the plastic waste come from and how
was it transported? Where will it go if it’s not recycled?
The Alliance is approaching this problem looking at how to develop reasonable
approximations that can be applied at a macro-level, as well as project specific,
in order to help the value-chain understand the opportunity to reduce carbon
emissions through circularity and for brands to be able to anticipate future scope 3
emissions. We therefore intend to present an assured climate impact metric in
future editions of our Progress Report.
a. After collection and processing the material
is sold to manufacturers of construction
materials and household items.
– Closing the Loop, Ghana
b. Recicleros aims to create a replicable
model for community-based waste
collection programmes. – Cidades +, Brazil
c.
Educational programme to foster
youth-led action against plastic waste.
– Changemakers, India
d. Cleanup of a dump site. – Malang, Indonesia
Our Impact Metrics Framework defines
the material topics aligned to our mission:
Develop Solution Models; Enable the
Ecosystem; Mobilise Capital; Reduce
Unmanaged Waste; Capture Value from
Waste; Create Social Benefit; Mitigate Climate
Change. This framework outlines the guiding
principles that we report against, setting the
metrics and data that underpin these topics.
(see Alliance Basis of Reporting 2023).
Since 2022, our assurance provider has
supported our journey by providing guidance
and assessing metrics for ‘assurance-
readiness’ in line with global assurance
Climate Impact
standard ISAE 3000. This year, we voluntarily
sought external Limited Assurance for our
impact metrics and independent assurance
of eight Solution Accelerator Fund projects
featured in this report. For the first time,
we present our impact through a set of
independently assured impact metrics
since inception (2019).
The Way Forward
2024 will be a crucial year for advancing
solutions to tackle global plastic pollution.
The International Legally Binding Instrument
(ILBI), due to be agreed by the end of
the year, will set the framework for how
countries tackle this issue. As the ink dries
on that agreement, the Alliance’s work
based on accurate, assured impacts from
our projects — will play an important role
in dealing with plastic waste, helping to
scale proven approaches.
To prepare for that broader impact
beyond the Alliance’s own projects, we are
committed to keeping pace with global
standards of sustainability reporting as
these evolve. Our aim is to fast-track this
effort so that all metrics will be assured
in future. We look forward to presenting
those metrics in future Progress Reports.
Impact Metrics at a Glance
ALLIANCE TO END PLASTIC WASTE | PROGRESS REPORT 2023
This momentum creates opportunities
for the Alliance to advance our purpose of
leading the creation of a circular economy
for plastics that enable the impact, scale,
and reach needed to tackle plastic waste
effectively. Seizing these opportunities
will necessarily mean evolving our
approach over time, as the opportunities
to catalyse and scale impact arise. This
may involve lifting our sights from the
development and implementation of
a collection of individual projects, to
embrace initiatives that aim to achieve
systems change, tackle issues at a deeper,
more focused geographic level, and which
continue to engage players across the
plastic value chain.
Once the text of the ILBI is ratified,
involved governments will set upon the
ambitious task of formulating national
action plans to address the unique
challenges their countries face at a
national, regional, and municipal level.
We must be ready to roll-up our sleeves
Advancing Circularity: Solutions for Change
Through our projects and programmes, we support the development
of the infrastructure, innovation, and ecosystems required to boost the
capability of municipalities and countries to collect, sort, and recycle
plastic waste at scale. Our vision is ending plastic waste and pollution,
and our purpose is leading the creation of a circular economy for plastic.
Since inception, we have supported more than 80 projects around
the world aligned to this objective.
Since our beginnings in 2019, our focus
had been to learn fast and apply that
experience through a commitment to
continuous improvement. Along the way,
some of our projects have needed
adjustments to ensure they remain
on track to deliver an impact over the
longer term. This is part of a typical
incubator model, where new ideas and
approaches are tested for the first time,
often requiring some calibration. This year,
in partnership with the Boston Consulting
Group, we began synthesising our knowledge
and emerging best practices into Solution
Model playbooks. These playbooks bring
together all the experience we have
gathered from our projects to provide
a recipe that others can replicate, scale,
and further improve upon.
Beyond Solution Models
This effort to share the knowledge and
experience that has come from our
projects, acknowledges that we have a
transformational role to play. By leveraging
our collective intelligence and capabilities
from across the plastics value chain,
our work can evolve from incremental
projects and proven Solution Models to
encouraging broader systems change to
end plastic pollution.
The context for our work is changing too.
The UN-brokered negotiations on the ILBI
on plastic pollution have increased global
attention and the urgency to act on the
issue of plastic waste, spurring global
action. We are seeing governments
developing and implementing policies
and action plans on plastic pollution,
companies making significant
commitments and investments, and
community groups, non-governmental
organisations, and coalitions forming
at an increasingly rapid pace, all linked
by a common desire to address plastic
waste and pollution.
As we document in this Progress Report,
the solutions and models we are
developing are often ground-breaking
and require close collaboration
amongst infrastructure providers,
innovators, scientists, the private
sector, government, communities,
development finance institutions,
and the financial sector.
As our work has progressed, we have
evolved into a global laboratory that
brings together existing knowledge
and expertise alongside new thinking
to develop solutions to the problems
presented by the leakage of waste into
the environment. We partner widely to
identify, amplify, and test technologies
as well as business and solution models.
and apply our expertise to help realise
its ambition in practice by sharing
knowledge and expertise gleaned from
the on-ground projects, research, and
technological innovations we have
supported over the past five years,
to achieve meaningful improvements
in the plastic pollution problem.
a. Uniting the government, industry, and civil
society around diverting plastic waste from
the environment. – Inkwazi Isu, South Africa
b. Digital watermarks can carry information
about product and packaging material,
enabling a high accuracy in sorting and
traceability. – HolyGrail 2.0, Belgium
ALLIANCE TO END PLASTIC WASTE | PROGRESS REPORT 2023
10
Developing & Testing Solution Models
At the end of 2023, the Alliance funded 52 active projects globally.
Southeast
Asia11
South
Asia10
North
America6
Japan1
Sub-Saharan
Africa
12
Middle East and
North Africa
South
America7
Europe2
China2
ALLIANCE TO END PLASTIC WASTE | PROGRESS REPORT 2023
11
In practice, a Solution Model is made up of
building blocks that link together efficiently
to deliver impact. It is no use, for example,
having a brilliant waste collection network
if there is no sorting and recycling capacity
to utilise the collected waste.
Once projects that fit these criteria are
selected, the Alliance — in partnership
with BCG — aims to document the practical
lessons arising from each of them in a
playbook. These also combine with the
experience of secondary projects which
have a bearing on one or more aspects
of the overall Solution Model. In the case
where there is already significant industry
experience, this is also brought into
a playbook.
As well as the technical aspects of a
solution, these playbooks also address
how the value chain fits together and
what enablers are necessary for the model
to work. These might be financial support
mechanisms, the availability of specific
technology, standards or design guidelines
for packaging, or government legislation.
The aim is for the playbooks to act as proven
blueprints that can be used and adapted
by others to address plastic waste leakage
and transition to a circular economy. We
aim to inform, inspire, and collaborate with
a network of partners to further develop
and scale our Solution Models.
This is about magnifying existing solutions,
scaling their impact, and sharing knowledge
from on-the-ground experience to help
other players in the waste management
and recycling value chain identify critical
success factors specific to their local
circumstances. That will ultimately reduce
unmanaged waste, capture value from
waste, and mitigate climate impact.
Two Solution Model playbooks in the
series have been published to date:
Engaging Households in Segregated
Municipal Waste Collection addresses
the approach to identifying and
Through its innovative projects around the world, the Alliance develops
practical and impactful solutions to the plastic waste problem that can be
deployed at scale. We want these to be replicated, scaled, and implemented
in different contexts, tailored to the specific needs of local communities.
To advance our objective, we partnered with the Boston Consulting Group
(BCG) to develop a series of Solution Model playbooks. These capture
knowledge and expertise gained from the implementation of projects
around the world and act as blueprints for systems change. The Alliance
encourages all stakeholders who can positively influence this advancement
to review our Solution Model playbooks as they are published, and to get
in contact with us or BCG for additional information.
separating various types of solid waste
within households. This is a priority
activity since household waste segregation
improves the volume and quality of
material collected for recycling, while
reducing sorting costs and decreasing
use of landfill for disposal. The playbook
maps the steps Alliance project partners
have taken to encourage households to
separate the waste at source in projects
implemented in Argentina, China, India,
and Indonesia.
A second playbook, Unlocking Value
Through Basic Manual Sorting of
Municipal Waste highlights the improved
value recovery of plastic waste for recycling,
including the use of simple and low-cost
equipment to improve the ergonomics
and speed of basic manual sorting.
This playbook is especially relevant
to countries with a basic regulatory
framework but limited collection and
treatment infrastructure, or those with
early-stage recycling systems driven
by market opportunities but that lack
additional financial support mechanisms
for more complex recycling. Alliance
projects in Brazil, China, Indonesia,
and Kenya underpin this playbook.
The scale of systems change required
to reach plastic circularity is vast. Making
the transition will require collaboration
between stakeholders along the
full plastic value chain as well as local
and national governments. Solutions
must be environmentally beneficial,
socially responsible, and economically
viable — and to make significant strides
towards plastic circularity, they must
be replicable and scalable. The Solution
Model playbooks are intended as a
guide to what works on the ground.
We encourage project developers and
partners around the world to use them
as a foundation to build on to accelerate
the systems change we need to end
plastic waste.
The plastic waste challenge is complex
but is best addressed through a shift
from the current take-make-dispose
practice to a circular model in which
priority is given to reduce, reuse and
recycle. Making that transition will
require coordinated action by national
and regional governments, companies,
civil society, and communities across
the world.
Solution Models are central to the
Alliance’s mission. The aim is to
develop, de-risk, and demonstrate
solutions that address sources of
plastic waste in different situations
and contexts. Once a Solution Model
is validated based on on-the-ground
project experience and documented,
it opens up the possibility of replication.
Further to this internal validation,
we seek external independent
assurance of our Solution Models.
Since inception, 10 projects have been
assured against the Solution Models
demonstration criteria.
To be characterised as a Solution Model,
an approach must exhibit a number of
key characteristics:
•
It must demonstrate significant
impact in terms of outcome, such
as diverting plastic waste from the
environment, bringing improved
waste management services to
communities, or reducing virgin
plastic volume through recycling.
•
It must be economically viable and
ideally investable.
•
It must be environmentally and
socially positive.
•
It must be replicable within a
three-to-five-year timeframe.
•
It must either be novel or demonstrate
an existing solution in a new context or
geography, thereby creating a showcase
to encourage further replication.
Developing & Testing Solution Models
Researching the use of plastic waste in asphalt roads. – Paving Green Roads, Singapore
ALLIANCE TO END PLASTIC WASTE | PROGRESS REPORT 2023
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Plastic Waste Management Framework
In 2023, an estimated 70% of plastic waste remained uncollected and was dumped
into landfills, subjected to open burning, or leaked into the environment.
While countries work to improve and strengthen their waste management systems,
there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Diverse national circumstances, varying stages
of progress in waste management, and unequal access to resources underline the
need for countries to employ a range of strategies to improve their waste management
efforts and move towards a circular economy.
As part of our efforts to educate and inform key stakeholders, we developed
the Plastic Waste Management Framework with the support of Roland Berger.
Six distinct categories of waste management and recycling maturities were identified
from a meta-analysis of 192 countries. These assessments were made according
to the characteristics of national stakeholders, infrastructure, legislation and
operational models. The categories are:
1. Category I: Undeveloped systems – no regulation or infrastructure and where
the informal waste picker sector plays a crucial role.
2. Category II: Incipient systems – basic waste regulation but only limited
collection and end-of-life treatment infrastructure.
3. Category III: Developing systems – functional waste management systems
driven primarily by market-based mechanisms.
4. Category IV: Functional, largely unregulated systems – functional waste
management systems, yet recycling rates have plateaued at around 20% to
25% due to limited regulatory pressure.
5. Category V: Advanced systems – complex waste management systems are firmly
in place, supported by strong expertise and institutions. They are well-regulated
but may still face challenges in specific areas.
6. Category VI: Developed performing systems – the most advanced waste
management systems. Their expertise and best practices can serve as exemplars.
The framework outlines 27 policies and actions that can be deployed to reduce
plastic waste pollution and increase plastic circularity in an economically and
environmentally sustainable way. The intent of the framework is to support and
inform governments developing national action roadmaps to move up the waste
management hierarchy and improve plastic recycling rates. We believe that this
will be important as countries move on from negotiating to implementing the ILBI
for plastic pollution.
Developing & Testing Solution Models
ALLIANCE TO END PLASTIC WASTE | PROGRESS REPORT 2023
13
Testing Solutions for Change
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.
a. Working hand-in-hand with city governments
to create effective circular waste management
systems. – Project STOP Jembrana, Indonesia
b. Reusable take-out and delivery container
system. – Megloo, Japan
c.
Connecting supply and demand for recyclables
digitally. – Eco Digiclean Klongtoei, Thailand
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. In short, we
look for weak links that a well-targeted
project can strengthen. Typically, this
means providing capital to get a project
off the ground or initial working capital
to scale projects that are in the growth
stage. In some cases, it means funding
scientific research.
The projects we highlight in this report
demonstrate the range of work that
we fund, as well as the different countries
where our projects are situated. Some
projects are still at the applied research
stage — investigating whether solutions
can work effectively and safely. In other
cases, the project aims to upscale a
solution and show it can be economically
viable. Others still, aim to boost capacity
on the ground or improve the working
conditions of those doing some of the
hardest jobs in the waste management
value chain — the waste pickers. In all
cases, these projects are carefully
designed with their local context in
mind and have been independently
assured by DNV.
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14
Education, Innovation and Renewal: Keeping Durban’s Rivers and Beaches Clean
Inkwazi Isu
In a country where waste management
is hindered by limited and unequally
distributed resources, the Inkwazi Isu
project brings the public and private
sectors together in a coordinated
effort to divert plastic waste from
being dumped in the environment.
The four-year programme funds
upgrades to sorting and aggregation
facilities, community education,
the establishment of an innovation hub,
as well as beach and river clean-ups.
This unique collaboration between
government, industry, and civil society
in Durban is on track to make a serious
dent into the city’s plastic pollution
problem, diverting plastic waste from
the Amanzimtoti and eZimbokodweni
river catchment areas.
While seemingly endless stretches of golden
sand give the laid-back coastal city a
reputation as “South Africa’s playground”,
two large flash floods in the last five years
deposited tonnes of plastic waste along
its coastline. It was this recurring disaster
that galvanised collaboration and the
launch of the Inkwazi Isu project in
June 2022. Rather than focusing only
on cleaning up, the aim was to prevent
plastic waste from getting into the
environment in the first place.
In 2023, with Alliance funding, the project
completed the upgrade of seven waste
sorting and aggregation sites. Six more
site upgrades are in progress, set to be
completed in July 2024, which will further
increase the city’s capacity to sort and
recycle plastic waste. The upgraded sites
will be fed by waste collected from landfills,
dumpsites, households, and schools,
through the efforts of municipal waste
workers — or bought from waste pickers.
Over a thousand community volunteers
also take part in regular clean-up campaigns
along rivers and beaches, recovering
tonnes of waste and restoring the natural
environment. The effort is supported by
Inkwazi Isu’s waste ambassadors, who help
raise awareness around separating waste
and preventing plastic waste leakage.
This builds on the ambassadors’ work
in their communities. Educational
programmes on how to identify and
sort plastic waste have been conducted
in 50 schools, encouraging students to
collect their plastic waste from home.
These collection programmes contribute
around 100 tonnes of plastic waste for
recycling every month.
1
13,548.5 tonnes assured for 2023 reporting period
2
13,037 tonnes assured for 2023 reporting period
3
29,435 assured for 2023 reporting period
4
43 assured for 2023 reporting period
5
206 assured for 2023 reporting period
17,527
Tonnes of plastic waste collected
and diverted to managed streams
for valorisation1
15,827
Tonnes of plastic waste supplied to or
directly utilised in mechanical
recycling processes to produce high
quality plastic recyclates2
39
Organisations engaged in 2023
29,585
Participants reached through
education programmes3
43
Net increase in formal jobs created4 206
Informal waste workers benefitting
from either improved income, working
conditions and/or social benefits5
UN SDGS
ACHIEVED
LOCATION
PROJECT PARTNER
Durban, South Africa
South Africa Healthcare Foundation
Testing Solutions for Change
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15
Testing Solutions for Change
Improving Lives and Building Waste Management Businesses in India
Let’s Transform
India’s five million sanitation workers
often work in hazardous conditions,
where fatalities are a matter of course —
India estimated that between 2018 and
2019, at least one sanitation worker
succumbed to the unsafe and unsanitary
conditions every five days.
The Let’s Transform initiative aims to
build ethical supply chains by training and
upskilling informal waste workers on their
journey to become micro-entrepreneurs
while diverting low-value plastic from
landfills and water bodies. Saahas Waste
Management Private Limited (SWPL),
an enterprise that provides end-to-end
waste management services and works
for environmental and social change
based on the principles of a circular
economy is driving the initiative, which
began in April 2022 and entered its
second phase in May 2023.
Both phases have focused on social
inclusion for the informal waste sector,
including waste aggregators and scrap
dealers. Informal waste workers are
extremely significant in the handling
of India’s domestic waste. Together,
the informal waste community and its
value chain manages more than 90% of
the country’s waste, estimated at 63 million
tonnes a year, a number projected to grow
to 3.4 billion tonnes per year by 2050,
unless managed sustainably.
Across the two phases, the project has
worked with five micro-entrepreneurs
in Bengaluru, Delhi, Kochi, Pandhurna,
and Coimbatore. They received financial
and managerial support to formalise
their businesses and enable them to
move towards sustainability, while also
ensuring cleaner and safer working
conditions for the informal waste value
chain workers.
These workers, in turn, help to maximise
the recovery of low-value plastics
including flexible films and packaging,
diverting these from landfills and water
bodies, to be sent for co-processing in
cement kilns or to recyclers. The project
has also provided the micro-entrepreneurs
with training in bookkeeping, on health
and safety, labour laws, and responsible
waste management practices.
In phase II, which ended in early 2024,
the project team helped the micro-
entrepreneurs to add value to the sourced
waste and divert a portion of it towards
recycling. They were taught to use the
Saahas-developed digital traceability tool,
TRACER, designed to track the end-to-end
movement of plastic waste, providing
both transparency and access to data.
For the Alliance, SWPL is documenting
their activities and lessons learned,
enabling a deeper understanding of
best practices and critical dependencies
to replicate and scale an innovative
approach to a just transition for
waste workers.
1
4,635 tonnes assured for 2023 reporting period
2
4,635 tonnes assured for 2023 reporting period
3
9 assured for 2023 reporting period
8,108
Tonnes of plastic waste collected
and diverted to managed streams
for valorisation1
8,102
Tonnes of plastic waste valorised2
Organisations engaged in 2023
46
Informal waste workers
benefitting from either improved
income, working conditions and/
or social benefits3
UN SDGS
ACHIEVED
LOCATION
PROJECT PARTNER
Bengaluru, Delhi,
Kochi, Pandhurna,
and Coimbatore, India
Saahas Waste Management Private Limited (SWPL)
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Testing Solutions for Change
A Cooperative Approach to Community Benefit While Dealing with Plastic Waste
1
1,473.09 tonnes assured for 2023
reporting period
2
110.7 assured for 2023 reporting period
2,878
Tonnes of plastic waste valorised1
110.7
Informal waste workers
benefitting from either improved
income, working conditions
and/or social benefits2
UN SDGS
ACHIEVED
BVRio
Brazil is the world’s fourth largest producer
of plastic waste, and Rio de Janeiro, its
second largest city, generates more than
9,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste
per day. Of this, just 0.5% is diverted from
landfills. Waste pickers are responsible
for 90% of the recovery of recyclables,
usually on foot, dragging carts, or
on motorbikes.
Besides increasing plastic recovery and
recycling rates in the metropolitan region,
BVRio aims to improve the lives and
working conditions of informal waste
collectors who play a vital role in
recycling system.
Under the BVRio initiative led by Circular
Action BV and supported by the Alliance,
residential and commercial enterprises
that have separated waste available
for pick up can post this online via the
waste-trading app, KOLEKT. Once alerted,
the cooperative sends a truck to pick up
the waste. The recyclables are then
sorted, baled, and sold to aggregators
and recyclers, with the proceeds kept
by the cooperative.
The cooperative has doubled the number
of its collection points and increased the
number of collection trucks from one
to three. As a result, it is now collecting
four times the amount of recyclables.
Our funding enabled BVRio to lease the
vehicles used to pick up the waste and lay
the foundations for a cooperative-based
approach to tackle plastic waste in the
city. The initial success of the project
has paved the way for BVRio to secure
further funding from other sources to
sustain the impact.
The project will continue to build
on its success, with a view towards
further enhancing the collection at
the cooperative. The same cooperative
model will also be scaled and replicated
at additional small and medium-sized
cooperatives in Rio de Janeiro.
LOCATION
PROJECT PARTNER
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Circular Action BV
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17
Tomorrow’s Roads Built with Plastic Waste
1
4 assured for 2023 reporting period from
the Singapore site
Field tests of road material
incorporating plastic waste
completed in Singapore and
Thailand
Number of organisations engaged1
UN SDGS
ACHIEVED
Paving Green Roads
The Paving Green Roads study is a
research and development collaboration
with various universities and research
institutes to investigate the mechanical
performance, health, safety, and
environmental impact of incorporating
plastic waste into asphalt roads. This
not only presents an important market
opportunity for difficult-to-recycle plastic
waste but is also vital in fully understanding
the implications of integrating such
materials into road surfaces.
A comprehensive suite of test methods
were utilised to understand the impact
of incorporating plastic waste into road
construction. This includes assessing
the mechanical performance to comply
with road authorities’ requirements,
the potential health and environmental
impacts, including the release of
microplastics and particulates into
the air as well as the potential pollutants
in water run-off.
Since the project’s launch in 2020,
the Alliance’s partners at the National
University of Singapore (NUS), Chiang Mai
University (CMU), and the Federation of
Thai Industries have studied the optimal
material mix for incorporating plastic
waste into asphalt application and the
impact on mechanical and environmental
performances for the selected road
conditions. In the first quarter of 2023,
the NUS team established sections of
road with asphalt containing plastic
waste, along with control sections for
comparison. These included both urban
arterial road and expressway so they
could compare the performance of the
roads subject to different conditions.
In Thailand, the CMU team did the
same for sections of rural road in
the Chiang Mai area.
The results for the construction phases
in both Singapore and Thailand suggest
that there are no significant differences in
the concentration of airborne particulates
(PM2.5 and PM10) at the test and control
sites as the road surface was being laid.
In-field data collection and analysis were
completed over a period of nine months
in Singapore and six months in Thailand.
The results demonstrate that there is no
significant difference between the control
and road sections that incorporated
plastic waste from the field testing,
from the perspectives of both
mechanical performance and health
and environmental impact.
Field trials will get under way in 2024 in
a separate workstream of the project in
India. This will be managed by the Central
Roads Research Institute (CRRI) of India,
with the trial location based in Raebareli,
Uttar Pradesh in northern India. The
chosen location will provide a robust
test of the plastic waste incorporated
road, with temperatures ranging from
2°C in winter to as high as 46°C in summer
to verify the mechanical performance
across seasonal temperature fluctuations.
CRRI has obtained approval for the trial
from the National Highways Authority
of India and construction is expected to
be completed in the first half of the year.
LOCATION
PROJECT PARTNER
Singapore, Thailand
and India
National University of Singapore (NUS), Chiang Mai
University (CMU), the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI),
Central Roads Research Institute of India (CRRI)
Testing Solutions for Change
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18
encouraging recycling, and improving
material traceability.
Key areas of focus include scaling the
development of a household collection
system to supplement their existing
network of informal waste pickers;
developing food grade conversion
capacity for PET; and building
infrastructure to drive the holistic
collection and development of
recycling solutions for all plastic types,
including hard-to-recycle plastic.
To date, Mr Green Africa has one
production line up and running, with
a second in the commissioning phase.
The Alliance is sponsoring a third line
which will be commissioned by the end
of 2024. In 2023, the project also began
work on a Pre-Processing Hub, a facility
Mr Green Africa
Scattered across the city of Nairobi
are a network of dedicated locations
for plastic waste collection, including
buy-back centres, small retail shops
called dukas, and petrol stations.
Set up by the Alliance’s project partner,
Mr Green Africa, these locations enable
plastic waste to be exchanged for cash
or Green Points that can be used to
purchase daily goods and supplies.
Mr Green Africa aggregates the collected
plastic waste and transforms it into
recyclates that can be used as feedstock
to produce new plastic products.
Mr Green Africa aims to scale community-
based plastic waste collection in the
country and supply brand owners and
industrial buyers with traceable, high
quality recycled plastic. Seeking to build
a financially sustainable business model
that retains social and environmental
impact at its core, it was the first recycling
company in Africa to be designated a
Certified B Corporation in 2021.
With the Alliance’s support,
Mr Green Africa aims to enhance its
collection and processing capabilities
across the region. The project will bring
the community on board to increase
plastic recycling rates, reinstate value
into the waste stream, and contribute
to the circular economy via an integrated
approach that combines a technology-
driven plastic collection model with
incentivisation. This enables waste
collection at source to integrate informal
waste workers, micro-entrepreneurs, and
consumers into a formal value chain,
while promoting consumer participation,
built on a nearly five-hectare site where
plastic waste will be manually sorted
from an inlet flow of mixed plastics to
improve plastic homogeneity and
produce high-quality bales. Construction
on the hub has since been completed in
June 2024.
Turning Plastic Waste into Value in Kenya’s Capital
1
3,147 tonnes assured for 2023 reporting period
2
2,203 tonnes assured for 2023 reporting period
3
18 assured for 2023 reporting period
4
2,304.9 assured for 2023 reporting period
ACHIEVED
LOCATION
PROJECT PARTNER
Nairobi, Kenya
Mr Green Africa
Testing Solutions for Change
3,663
Tonnes of plastic waste collected
and diverted to managed streams
for valorisation1
2,470
Tonnes of plastic waste supplied to
or directly utilised in mechanical
recycling processes to produce
high quality recyclates2
US$900,000
Funding committed by other parties
to the project
16
Organisations engaged in 2023
18
Net increase in formal jobs created3 2,305
Informal waste workers benefitting
from improved income, working
conditions and/or social benefits4
UN SDGS
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19
grassroots work with the informal sector.
That led to the approval of phase II —
an expansion into Ho Chi Minh province.
The project concluded in January 2024
with a closing ceremony, during which the
waste collectors shared their experiences
and the positive impact of the project on
their lives. “Every month, I feel secure
because I have protective equipment
and insurance to take care of my health,”
said Ms Tran Thi Hoa who works in Hanoi.
Others spoke about the effect the
project had on how they viewed their
work. “I never thought my work would
receive so much attention and support
Plastic Cycle
In Vietnam, more than 90% of plastic
waste is collected by its informal sector,
with an estimated 10,000 to 16,000
informal waste collectors working daily
in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This
workforce plays a vital role in Vietnam’s
waste management, often providing the
sole means of recyclable waste collection
for municipalities.
The Alliance worked with VietCycle,
a for-profit scrap collection and recycling
company whose mission is to help
develop a strong recycling industry in
Vietnam, with the aim of improving the
working conditions and income of
informal waste collectors.
Through the Plastic Cycle project, over
1,000 waste collectors received practical
and valuable social welfare support
for the first time, in the form of health
insurance and monthly rent subsidies.
They also received personal protective
equipment. Funding from the Alliance
has also helped improve the efficiency of
VietCycle’s operations with the purchase
of two trucks and four balers.
The first phase of the project was
completed in April 2023, ahead of schedule,
thanks to the strong engagement and
from so many people,” said Ms Le Thi Luong
who also works in Hanoi, “Before, when I
went to work, many people said rude things.
But the project helped me understand
that I am doing something meaningful for
the environment.”
Supporting and Celebrating Vietnam’s Informal Waste Pickers
1
4,199 tonnes assured for 2023 reporting period
2
4,199 tonnes assured for 2023 reporting period
3
1,151 assured for 2023 reporting period
4,419
Tonnes of plastic waste collected
and diverted to managed streams
for valorisation1
4,259
Tonnes of plastic waste supplied
to or directly utilised in recycling
processes to produce lower
quality plastic recyclates2
17
Organisations engaged in 2023
1,151
Informal waste workers
benefitting from improved
income, working conditions
and/or social benefits3
UN SDGS
ACHIEVED
LOCATION
PROJECT PARTNER
Hanoi and
Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam
VietCycle
Testing Solutions for Change
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