Vision and Aim
UNEP Plastics Initiative has a long-term vision to end global plastic pollution.
To bring this vision to fruition, the Initiative aims to tackle plastic pollution by creating an enabling and empowering environment that accelerates market transformation towards a circular economy of plastics. It has a specific focus on activating upstream innovation and solutions that focus on reduction and reuse.
"We cannot recycle our way out of the plastic pollution crisis: we need a systemic transformation that drastically reduces the flow of virgin plastics to achieve the transition to a circular economy." Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director
Strategic goals
To achieve its vision and aim, drawing from the Plastics Science document of the first session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (UNEP/PP/INC.1/7), the Initiative has following four strategic goals:
REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE PROBLEM: Eliminating and substituting unnecessary or problematic plastics and hazardous additives, accelerating the market for reusable products, and increasing the use of recycled plastics.
DESIGN FOR CIRCULARITY: Ensuring products are designed to be circular (toxic-free, less resource-intensive, reusable, recyclable, and compostable), for both plastics and alternatives.
ENSURE CIRCULARITY IN PRACTICE: Closing the loop of plastic in the economy by ensuring plastic products are circulated in practice (reused, recycled, and composted).
DEAL WITH THE LEGACY: Managing plastic waste that cannot be reused or recycled in an environmentally sound manner.
Targets
The Initiative works with a wide range of partners and stakeholders to achieve the following targets by 2027:
45 COUNTRIES will have improved their plastics policies and regulations to enable robust transition towards a just and safe circular economy of plastics.
500 PRIVATE SECTOR ACTORS in key industry sectors will have adopted effective circular solutions and innovations, committed to circular economy to reduce plastic pollution.
50 FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS will have included circularity or plastic pollution prevention and reduction policies in their sustainability strategy and/or targets.
Approach
The Initiative adopts a programmatic approach and delivers global, regional, and in-country projects in high-impact sectors and value chains. In developing and implementing these projects, the Initiative coordinates with all relevant UNEP divisions and teams, peer agencies, and partners and engages with global partners, as well as with regional, national, and sub-national initiatives, governments, businesses, NGOs, and academia.
Global projects that focus on technical assistance, science assessment, harmonised methodology, guidance on national action plans, monitoring and reporting, communications and outreach, partnership, finance and investment, and capacity building.
Regional projects that focus on regional enabling environment for replication and upscaling, engagement, peer-to-peer learning, and capacity building.
National & sub-national projects that focus on policy implementation and enforcement, industrial innovation, technology application, infrastructure development, and stakeholder engagement.
More Information
For more information about the UNEP Plastics Initiative and its efforts to combat global plastic pollution through a circular economy approach, please reach out to us at unep-plastics-initiative@un.org or explore our brochure here.
Sign up for the UNEP Plastics Initiative Newsletter here to receive updates on our work, events, and ways you can get involved.
