Alliance to End Plastic Waste

The Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Singapore.^[1]

History

AEPW promised in 2020 to spend $1.5 billion by 2024 to reduce plastic pollution and increase recycling efforts.^[2][3] In September 2020 the group reported having spent US$400 million on projects in Southeast Asia, Africa and India.^[4]

The group has been criticized for promoting a reduction of plastic waste rather than a reduction in plastic production.^[5] Moreover, the 5-year recycling target of 15 million tonnes is only 0.8% of the 1.8 billion tonnes of plastic waste production, and the actual recycling of plastic waste during 2019-2021 was only 4 thousand tonnes, compared to the 3-year target of 9 million tonnes.^[6]

Membership and collaboration

Founding members include BASF, Chevron Phillips Chemical, ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings, Procter & Gamble, and Shell.^[7]

The Alliance to End Plastic Waste has many members, including some of the world's largest companies in the chemical, plastic, consumer goods, and waste management sectors. These members are committed to investing their resources, expertise, and capabilities to advance the alliance's mission.

The AEPW works with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development as a strategic partner and the United Nations Environment Program.^[8] The group has been widely criticized as a greenwashing initiative that has not met ambitious goals for plastic cleanup, and using its power to prevent regulation of plastics.^[9][6][5]

See also

• Waste management