Alliance to End Plastic Waste Reports First-Year Progress Under Strategy 2030

The Alliance to End Plastic Waste has released its 2025 Progress Report, Strategy in Action, outlining the first-year implementation of its Strategy 2030 and reporting progress in reducing unmanaged plastic waste, increasing material recovery and mobilizing investment for plastics circularity.

In 2025, the Alliance reported reducing 138,162 tonnes of unmanaged plastic waste and valorizing 165,317 tonnes of plastic waste. Since its inception, the organization has reduced 378,147 tonnes and valorized 418,529 tonnes. It has also helped catalyze US$641 million in funding commitments from third parties and impact investors since 2019, while its education and behavior-change programs have reached more than 1.5 million people.

The Alliance said Strategy 2030 is shifting its approach from smaller standalone projects toward larger integrated Country and Thematic Programs. The programs focus on strengthening waste management and recycling systems in specific markets while addressing cross-market challenges such as flexible plastics.

Country Programs are currently established in Brazil, Saudi Arabia through the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), India, Indonesia and South Africa. The programs focus on improving waste collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure while supporting demand for recycled materials.

In Indonesia, the Alliance launched an integrated waste management pilot in Malang Regency, East Java, in 2025 as part of the Solid Waste Management for Sustainable Urban Development (SWM-SUD) project led by the Government of Indonesia and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The pilot combines source segregation, improved collection and sorting, and stronger connections with local recyclers. The Alliance has committed up to US$40 million to apply lessons from the Malang pilot across multiple SWM-SUD cities and regencies.

In India, an Alliance-financed municipal waste processing facility was established in partnership with authorities in Mathura-Vrindavan. The facility is operating at 75% capacity and is expected to process up to 300 tonnes of waste per day, with the potential to divert 80% of the city's waste from landfill.

The Alliance's first Thematic Program focuses on flexible plastics, which are widely used but often difficult to collect and recycle economically. Under its Flexibles Program, the organization advanced projects in Europe and North America in 2025 using a market-driven approach that links collection and sorting systems to the requirements of recycling and end markets.

In Phoenix, Arizona, the Alliance is working with RME Defeats Waste on a collection model for flexible plastics generated by commercial and industrial sites. The project uses on-site baling and on-demand collection to serve smaller generators, including manufacturers and hospitals, whose material volumes may be insufficient to support conventional collection models. The Alliance has also commissioned a study of the U.S. flexible plastics system to assess supply and demand and identify potential end markets for recycled flexible plastics.

The organization also continued efforts to mobilize capital for plastics circularity projects. The Plastic Circularity Strategy, managed by Lombard Odier Investment Managers, reached final close in summer 2026 after receiving seed funding and technical support from the Alliance. The fund is deploying growth equity capital into companies developing plastics circularity solutions, including Spain-based Fych Technologies and Switzerland-based Bloom Biorenewables.

Jacob Duer, President and CEO of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, said 2025 established the foundations for Strategy 2030 and that expanding systems-level solutions will require sustained investment and collaboration among stakeholders.

Source: Alliance to End Plastic Waste

SUNSHINE Spotlight: Under Strategy 2030, the Alliance to End Plastic Waste reported reducing 138,162 tonnes of unmanaged plastic waste and valorizing 165,317 tonnes in 2025 while expanding integrated recycling programs and investment initiatives.