Plastics, Consumer Goods Manufacturers Commit $ 1.5 Billion to Reduce Waste

FRANKFURT – Global companies such as BASF, DowDuPont, Procter & Gamble and SABIC have formed an alliance to fight plastic waste and pledge to spend $ 1.5 billion over the next five years.

The Alliance for the Elimination of Plastic Waste (AEPW), presented Wednesday by its 28 founding companies, reunited as the environmental crisis worsens: about 8 million tons of plastic waste end up in the oceans each year, which resulted in the prohibition of -use plastic products.

The current alliance members have committed more than one billion dollars to the project over the next five years, while the money promised by the additional members should bring the five-year budget to around 1 billion. , $ 5 billion, said a spokesman.

The funds will be dedicated to waste collection infrastructure, mainly in Africa and Asia, waste recycling and reuse technologies, education of governments and local communities, and cleanup of waste. highly polluted areas.

The alliance, which currently consists mainly of plastics manufacturers, said that about 90 percent of global marine litter came from only 10 rivers and that more than half of the plastic waste from land in five Asian countries – China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

AEPW does not include any of China's leading plastic and chemical groups – Sinochem, ChemChina and Sinopec – but the spokesman said talks to recruit Chinese players were continuing.

In an October report, IHS Markit said that 59% of global plastic waste came from packaging.

Faced with growing consumer concern over plastic waste, heavyweights such as Kraft Heinz, Nestle, Unilever and Henkel have individually committed to making their recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging a priority. 2025 in the last two years.

Procter & Gamble and Henkel are currently the only manufacturers of branded consumer products among AEPW members, but the alliance spokesman said that an increased number of people would join to the group in the coming weeks.

The location of the headquarters of the alliance has not yet been determined and the search for a general manager is underway, the spokesman added. (Report by Ludwig Burger, edited by Ken Ferris)