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Jacob Duer
President & Chief Executive Officer
The Latest
Ending plastic waste is ambitious. But it is through collaboration and collective action that this complex problem can be solved.
Some of our projects to end plastic waste: Holy Grail 2.0 (top left), Closing the Loop (top right), Planks of Promise (bottom left), and Firstar Fiber (bottom right).
Some of our projects to end plastic waste: Holy Grail 2.0 (top left), Closing the Loop (top right), Planks of Promise (bottom left), and Firstar Fiber (bottom right).
Projects in
African Parks Collaboration
Bazaruto, Mozambique
Starting with the island of Bazaruto, we are co-developing a bespoke waste management solution for this 1,400 km² archipelago park spanning 5 islands and is home to over 2,000 fish species and megafauna like whales, sharks, and dolphins. This is just the beginning of working with the African Parks to tackle plastic waste issues in up to 19 national parks and protected areas spanning 14.2 million hectares which represents nine distinct ecological biomes.
Aviral - Reducing Plastic in the Ganga
Haridwar Rishikesh, India
Aviral means continuous in Hindi. It is our commitment to curb the flow of plastic waste into the Ganga river. Together with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, we want to unite public and private stakeholders to create and replicate waste management solutions across India.
Coliba AFRICA
Abidjan, Ivory Coast
This project aims to scale-up collection of plastic waste and to build a PET washing facility that is able to process up to 12,000 tons per year of PET flakes. 65 Coliba AFRICA containers and more than 100 collection boxes will be set up in Abidjan districts and TOTAL and Shell gas service stations to collect plastic waste directly from the population and the informal collectors.
Clean Agra Project
Agra, India
The city of Agra is iconic and the Clean AGRA project will set up additional waste collection and processing infrastructure as well as run community outreach and engagement programmes, acknowledging that everyone has a part in ending plastic waste in the environment.
Closing the Loop
Accra, Ghana
Closing the Loop supports entrepreneurs from vulnerable communities to collect and sell plastic waste from the streets of Accra to the first CASH IT! recycling facility. The processed plastic waste is then sold to recyclers, contributing to an emerging circular economy in Accra. After the succesful launch of the first facility, we have expanded our support to build two more recycling facilities in Accra, which will process up to 6000 tons of plastic waste a year once fully operational.
Eco Digiclean Klongtoei
Bangkok, Thailand
This project aims to setup solid waste drop-off points in different communities, organizations and department stores in the Klongtoei District in Bangkok. A mobile application will also be developed to monitor these drop-off points and study the recycling behaviours of the residents in order to set-up an adequate solid waste management system in the city for the future.
End Plastic Waste Innovation Platform
Silicon Valley, USA
From driving transparency within the plastics value chain to creating a market for recycled plastics—and there are many success stories from this region. Now into its second accelerator round, the Silicon Valley hub continues to support innovators, looking to bring their best ideas and thinking to the next stage.
End Plastic Waste Innovation Platform
Paris, France
In 2015, Paris became a city known to have unified nations and organisations on the ambition to combat climate change. Today, we call on all innovators and startups across Europe, the Middle East and Africa to take plastic waste management solutions a step further. Together with Plug and Play, startups are coming on our Innovation Platform so we can link their ideas and thinking with the expertise and resources from the biggest names in the plastic value chain.
End Plastic Waste Innovation Platform
Singapore, Singapore
With many Asian countries facing the plastic waste challenge, supporting innovation at our Singapore hub is critical to bringing together startups to achieve future-forward waste management solutions. We are working with Plug and Play, and linking the best ideas with expertise and resources from the biggest names in the plastic value chain.
End Plastic Waste Innovation Platform
São Paulo, Brazil
Following the success of the End Plastic Waste Innovation Platform in Singapore, Paris, and Silicon Valley, we are now bringing together startups in three new hubs to tackle the global plastic waste challenge. Innovation comes from all over the world and these new hubs open up the funnel to even more new ideas which will benefit from the expertise and resources from the biggest names in the plastic value chain.
End Plastic Waste Innovation Platform
Johannesburg, South Africa
Following the success of the End Plastic Waste Innovation Platform in Singapore, Paris, and Silicon Valley, we are now bringing together startups in three new hubs to tackle the global plastic waste challenge. Innovation comes from all over the world and these new hubs open up the funnel to even more new ideas which will benefit from the expertise and resources from the biggest names in the plastic value chain.
End Plastic Waste Innovation Platform
Shanghai, China
Following the success of the End Plastic Waste Innovation Platform in Singapore, Paris and Silicon Valley, we are now bringing together startups in three new hubs to tackle the global plastic waste challenge. Innovation comes from all over the world and these new hubs open up the funnel to even more new ideas which will benefit from the expertise and resources from the biggest names in the plastic value chain.
GIRO
Argentina
Our GIRO project aims to make the waste management system of Olavarría, Argentina, more circular by maximising recovery of compostable and recyclable waste. This includes running education programmes on household sorting and recycling, and setting-up the necessary infrastructure—all in an effort to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. We have launched a 6-month pilot with the local municipality, residents, and waste workers, that will help us design a solution catered to the needs and practices of the community. More details to come.
HolyGrail 2.0
Denmark, Germany, and France
The Digital Watermarks Initiative HolyGrail2.0—driven by AIM, European Brands Association, and powered by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste—is a pilot project assessing the potential of a digital watermark technology to improve the efficiency and accuracy of plastic waste sorting, helping increase recycling quality and taking a huge step towards a circular economy for plastic.
ICLEI
Jambi, Indonesia
This project aims to present good examples of effective and sustainable plastic waste management practices, processes and technologies that can be replicated, disseminate city results, learning and outcomes to a wider audience and participate in supporting our goal of installing effective waste management infrastructure in 5 cities through India and South East Asia.
ICLEI
Lloilo City, Philippines
This project aims to present good examples of effective and sustainable plastic waste management practices, processes and technologies that can be replicated, disseminate city results, learning and outcomes to a wider audience and participate in supporting our goal of installing effective waste management infrastructure in 5 cities through India and South East Asia.
ICLEI
Iskandar Development Area, Malaysia
This project aims to present good examples of effective and sustainable plastic waste management practices, processes and technologies that can be replicated, disseminate city results, learning and outcomes to a wider audience and participate in supporting our goal of installing effective waste management infrastructure in 5 cities through India and South East Asia.
ICLEI
Surat, India
This project aims to present good examples of effective and sustainable plastic waste management practices, processes and technologies that can be replicated, disseminate city results, learning and outcomes to a wider audience and participate in supporting our goal of installing effective waste management infrastructure in 5 cities through India and South East Asia.
ICLEI
Warangal, India
This project aims to present good examples of effective and sustainable plastic waste management practices, processes and technologies that can be replicated, disseminate city results, learning and outcomes to a wider audience and participate in supporting our goal of installing effective waste management infrastructure in 5 cities through India and South East Asia.
Litterati
Silicon Valley, USA
Literrati started off as one of the finalists participating in the inaugural End Plastic Waste Innovation Platform with Plug and Play and collaborated with us as the global partner to help deliver the All_Together Clean Up campaign for World Cleanup Day in 2020. Following the success of the 3-week campaign where we saw almost 800,000 pieces of litter picked up globally, it has now evolved into a scalable and replicable global Clean4Change programme with participation from the public, schools, member companies, and government agencies.
Manta Advanced Recycling Feasibility Study
Mojokerto, Indonesia
We are partnering with Recycling Technology to evaluate the feasibility of using advanced recycling technologies to complement the implementation of a mechanical recycling facility and recover value from most plastic waste in Mojokerto. More details to come.
NTU Grant-Accelerating Creativity & Excellence
Singapore, Singapore
This project is a joint grant call collaboration alongside the academic community in NTU. This grant call will be focused on 2 key themes to end plastic waste—advanced technologies, including AI and data science and behavioural and social aspects. A joint steering committee will select, steer and monitor the successful proposals, leveraging member companies’ expertise and interest where needed. Success will be measured by follow-up investment, projects, growth, and delivery of these start-ups by member companies, and external investors.
Paving Green Roads
Singapore, Singapore
This project aims to study the environmental impacts of using recycled plastic in road applications. Along with the National University of Singapore, we will be researching the impact of plastic mixed with bitumen on air pollution, rain-water leaching and potential re-use in future roads. From this research, we hope to move into actual physical piloting with monitoring from the Land Transport Authority of Singapore for adoption. This is one example of how we turn research into reality.
Paving Green Roads
Chiangmai, Thailand
This project aims to study the environmental impacts of use of recycled plastic in road applications. Along with our partners, Federation of Thai Industry in Thailand and the Chiang Mai University, we will be researching the impact of plastic mixed with bitumen on air pollution, rain-water leaching and potential re-use in future roads. From this research, we hope to move into actual physical piloting in Thailand using the dry process of road construction. This is another example of how we turn theory into practice.
Planks of Promise
Manila, Philippines
Our partners The Plastic Flamingo will triple their plastic waste collection opportunities in Metro Manila while recognising plastic as a valuable resource. Through the Planks of Promise project, plastic waste is given a second life as “eco–planks”, used to build temporary housing solutions for displaced Filipinos during natural disasters.
Project STOP Jembrana
Bali, Indonesia
160,000 people will get access to a robust and formalised waste management system. With the support from Project STOP, this new facility will provide jobs for the community and prevent 2,200 tons of plastic waste leakage annually.
Rayong Less-Waste
Rayong, Bangkok
The project aims to develop a successful waste management model developed in one municipality of the Rayong Province based on the full circularity of plastic waste and composting of organic waste. The ambition of this project would be to replicate the success of this model by 68 times.
Rethinking Recycling
Bali, Indonesia
Together with Delterra.org, we are supporting the Rethinking Recycling programme in Bali, Indonesia. Based on a Program Academy, we aim to bring the necessary waste management education to municipalities decision makers and sorting facilities managers. Once the education programme is delivered, a first cohort of 6 material recovery facilities will be fully upgraded in order to make them operational and self sustainable.
Soceo
Kolkata, India
The project consists of an education program in 60 schools in the Sunderbans and metropolitan Kolkata region. It aims to educate and sensitize students and the broader community around the schools on plastic waste challenges and management through action-oriented learning.
Universitas Hasanuddin
Hasanuddin, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
This project aims to work with an Indonesian University to install waste traps on 3 rivers of South Sulawesi in Indonesia to adress the plastic waste leakage in the environment. Local communities will be engaged to collect and sort the plastic waste collected by the traps.
Waste-Wise Cities
Nairobi, Mombasa, Kenya; Addis Ababa, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Every day 350 tons of solid waste is generated in Puducherry but there is limited waste infrastructure to manage it. Our partner the Yunus Environment Hub, a spin-off of the Grameen Creative Lab, is helping us address the plastic waste problem from end to end. At the core is how we engage with communities to set up social businesses that turn plastic waste into valuable resources.
Waste-Wise Cities
Thiruvananthapuram, Mangalore, India
Together with the UN Habitat Waste Wise Cities programme, we will develop full waste management infrastructure proposals in 6 cities in 3 countries—Kenya, Ethiopia, India—helping us better understand what it will take to end plastic waste and drive long-term impact.
Zero Plastic Waste Cities
Puducherry, India
Every day 350 tons of solid waste is generated in Puducherry but there is limited waste infrastructure to manage it. Our partner the Yunus Environment Hub, a spin-off of the Grameen Creative Lab, is helping us address the plastic waste problem from end to end. At the core is how we engage with communities to set up social businesses that turn plastic waste into valuable resources.
Zero Plastic Waste Cities
Tan An, Vietnam
While recyclable materials are collected across Vietnam’s 3,000 recycling craft villages, its value is lost without the right technology. We have partnered with Yunus Environment Hub to equip these communities with social business models and knowledge so they can turn waste to worth.
People with passion speak with certainty, in a tone and a pace that show what they care about. It points to their conviction, their will, and their commitment. This is our leadership team who have come together because they want a better world—for everyone.
Jacob Duer
President & Chief Executive Officer
Jacob has more than 20 years of experience with the United Nations with focus on chemicals and waste management, environment and sustainable development. He has a strong track record in policy work, intergovernmental negotiations, practical implementation and problem solving, coupled with strategic thinking and proactive leadership skills. Jacob has lived and worked with the United Nations in Austria, Senegal, Kenya and Switzerland. As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, Jacob leads the development of the overall strategic vision of the Alliance that will invest US$1.5 billion over 5 years in infrastructure, innovation, education and clean-up projects to help end the leakage of plastic waste into the environment and contribute to a circular economy.
Sophia Porcelli
CFO & Vice President of Operations
Sophia comes with over 20 years of professional finance experience heading up finance and change management for global and regional corporations mainly in the oil & gas and chemical industries. Her contribution spans management ranks across emerging and mature markets across UK, Europe, Asia and USA. She is a voluntary mentor and board member for several non-profit professional network groups and earned her Fellowship from the Institute of Chartered Accounts in England and Wales. As CFO and Vice President of Operations, Sophia manages all financial processes and activities, supports budgeting processes, and oversees human resources, IT, and administrative activities.
Steve Sikra
Vice President and Head of Americas
Steve has over 28 years’ work experience at the Procter & Gamble Company with a career spanning both technical and management roles in process development, package development, product supply operations and upstream material development. In his last role, Steve led P&G’s global plastic strategy for all business units. He has held board positions with organisations like the Closed Loop Fund and the Recycling Partnership. Notably, Steve was a catalyst in the formation of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and has been engaged in Alliance activities since its formal launch in 2019.
Nicholas Kolesch
Vice President of Projects
Nicholas brings a strong international background in chemicals and plastics, previously serving as Strategic Planning Manager (Singapore) and Head of Marketing Automotive (Vienna) for the Borealis Group. Nick has worked extensively in Europe and Asia throughout his career and held sales, marketing, strategy and management positions in Hong Kong, Switzerland, Thailand and the United Kingdom with Ciba Specialty Chemicals. As Vice President of Projects, Nick manages the screening, development, and execution of the large-scale portfolio of projects, in accordance with the Alliance strategy.
Allison Lim
Vice President of Corporate & Public Affairs
Allison has traversed the communications discipline from journalism to corporate and public affairs, to public policy. She joins the Alliance from Tetra Pak where she drove the company’s public policy strategy in the Asia-Pacific. Prior to that, she spent more than 15 years in consulting, working across Asia and the Middle East. She has steered programmes across the wider sustainable development agenda and contributed to policy development on a range of issues, including circularity, Extended Producer Responsibility, biodiversity and climate change. As VP of Corporate and Public Affairs, Allison builds and enhances the Alliance’s profile and reputation to achieve the Alliance’s core strategic and aspirational objectives.
Justin Wood
Vice President of Strategic Partnerships
Justin was the Head of the Asia Pacific and Member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum where he was responsible for key initiatives around trade and economic integration, education and skills, tropical forests and plastic management, infrastructure financing, and supporting governments. Prior, he was at The Economist Group and ran an economic advisory and research service for the Asia region. Justin has lived and worked in the Asia Pacific region for 24 years. As Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at the Alliance, Justin builds and maintains the Alliance’s network of relationships with potential partners and supports the CEO with member, strategic ally and supporter recruitment.
Instinctively, ending plastic waste has always stood out for me. There has never been a global non-profit with such a strong Asian focus—let alone headquartered in Singapore—that is as bold and ambitious as the Alliance. This is my way of serving communities and learning alongside inspirational leaders.
Sophia Porcelli, CFO & Vice President of Operation
Sophia Porcelli
CFO & Vice President of Operation
Our Advisory Council members are global environmental policy and opinion leaders from non-business stakeholder groups that provide expert advice and recommendations to the Alliance on its strategy and priorities.
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE
Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE was sworn-in as Mayor of Freetown in May 2018 with a commitment to transform Freetown using an inclusive, data-driven approach to address key challenges and issues in the city from environmental degradation to job creation in the tourism sector. Mayor Aki-Sawyerr is a finance professional with over 25 years of private sector experience in strategic planning, risk management consulting and project management. Mayor Aki-Sawyerr is a Chartered Accountant and holds an MSc in Politics of the World Economy from the London School of Economics and a BSc Hons in Economics from Fourah Bay College. She was recently recognized in the BBC 2020 100 Women list.
Navneet Chadha
Regional Circular Economy Lead, IFC – World Bank Group
Navneet is with IFC’s Manufacturing Group based in Bangkok where he is responsible for leading advisory programs and supporting investment projects in circular economy, resource efficiency, and climate change across Asia. He has more than 35 years of private sector experience in environmental sustainability including air, water, and solid waste management. He has worked for chemical companies both at the corporate and plant level and in environmental consulting. He has developed and managed complex programs in 20+ countries and has worked with diverse industries including petrochemicals & specialty chemicals, apparel & textiles, coatings & resins, and food & beverage. He has a M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kentucky and B. Tech. in Chemical Engineering from IIT.
Prof Linda Godfrey
Manager: Waste RDI Roadmap; Principal Scientist, CSIR
Prof Linda Godfrey is a Principal Scientist at the CSIR and Extraordinary Professor at Northwest University, South Africa, and holds a PhD in Engineering. With over 20-years of sector experience, she manages the Waste Research Development and Innovation Roadmap Implementation Unit on behalf of Government. She has provided strategic input to a number of local, regional and international waste and circular economy initiatives for the United Nations, European Union, World Bank, South African Government, Academy of Sciences, International Solid Waste Association, universities and businesses. She lectures internationally on solid waste management in developing countries, including the social, economic and environmental opportunities of “waste” within a circular economy context. She has published extensively in the field.
Keefe Harrison
Founder and CEO, The Recycling Partnership
Keefe Harrison is a founder and CEO of The Recycling Partnership, a national nonprofit dedicated to protecting the planet by fixing recycling and activating a circular economy in the U.S. An international speaker, media pundit, and environmental author, Keefe is 22-year veteran of the space, dedicated to engaging companies in making measurable, lasting change in communities. Under her leadership, The Partnership has grown significantly since its founding in 2014, engaging more than 70 funding partners to leverage more than $150 million, and reaching more than half of American households. Before recycling, Keefe worked on a logging crew in North Carolina, researched sea turtles in Costa Rica, and studied reindeer husbandry in Finland.
Shigemoto Kajihara (Mr.)
President, Japan Waste Research Foundation (JWRF)
Mr. Kajihara has 38 years of work experience at the Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOEJ). During his career, Mr. Kajihara led activities on a range of environmental issues including waste management, circular economy and climate change. He was previously Director General (DG) for Waste Management, DG for Global Environment, and Vice Minister for Global Environment Issues, where he led all international activities for MOEJ, including international cooperation on waste management and 3R. Mr. Kajihara joined the Japan Waste Research Foundation (JWRF) as President in 2018. JWRF brings together knowledge and technologies from industry, government, academia and other organizations to realize a circular economy and carbon-free society.
Leah Karrer, PhD
Senior Environment Officer, Global Environment Facility
Dr Leah Karrer is a tenacious champion for plastic pollution reducing strategies. Having spent her 25-year career building, advising and directing global multi-million dollar ocean conservation initiatives at NOAA, IUCN, and Conservation International, she is currently responsible for the Global Environment Facility’s growing portfolio of plastic pollution reducing projects totaling over $23M. Previously she earned the Bronze Award at the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Head in the Sky Award at CI. As a local activist for circular economy solutions in Washington, DC, Leah is promoting reuse systems at the World Bank and with local restaurants and grocers. Recognizing the power of technology, Leah co-founded Find Green, the first consumer choice platform where users can find, compare and rate businesses based on their sustainability. Leah is the mother of two vivacious, eco-minded daughters.
Daoji Li
Professor, East China Normal University
Dr. Li is renowned for his dedicated research in marine science. He initiates and promotes marine microplastics research in China. He is currently the leader of the National Key Research and Development Program on Marine Microplastics research project, the IOC/WESTPAC and UNEP project in marine plastic and microplastics research, and the IOC regional training and research centre on plastic and microplastics. His team has achieved significant progress by publishing a series of systematic innovative research results. Through the establishment of a world scientific research network among scientists, he is working towards a global endorsement of China and the Asia region’s efforts and approaches in dealing with marine plastic pollution.
Carlos Silva Filho
President, International Solid Waste Association (ISWA)
Carlos Silva Filho is a Brazilian lawyer specialising in Administrative & Economic Law, who started working in the waste industry in 1999 as legal advisor at ABRELPE – Brazilian Association of Waste Management Companies, ISWA National Member in Brazil. In 2008 he became ABRELPE’s Executive Director and in 2012 its President. Mr. Silva Filho has been dedicated to developing waste related Regulations, Waste Plans, Communication Strategies and Data research and analysis. Mr. Silva Filho has been a member of ISWA since 2005. In 2011 he became a member of the ISWA board, was elected Vice-President in 2014 and in 2015 he cofounded and chaired the ISWA Young Professionals Group. In 2020 Mr. Silva Filho has been nominated and elected as ISWA President.
Juan Miguel Cuna
Undersecretary, Field Operations and Environment, DENR
Undersecretary Juan Miguel T. Cuna is a member of both the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and Philippine Bar Association. As a lawyer who has served in the government for about 23 years, he has acquired specialisation in the fields of Philippine Law, local government legislation, public administration and management, project management, and environmental and resource management. After serving as City Councilor for the 5th District of Manila for two consecutive terms, he joined Legal Services in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in 2008 and became Director of the Environmental Management Bureau in 2010. He has a M.S. in Public Management from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Our members are committed to act. They invest in us through funding, expertise, and resources to enable our vision. Together we demonstrate projects and programmes that create and extract value—proving the investment market—from plastic waste. We look forward to forging more partnerships and creating more collective action.
Our strategic partners are leaders in their fields—helping us identify and execute our projects at scale. They bring expertise and access, enabling us to deliver impactful solutions to end plastic waste, together.
Our supporters are passionate about our work. They bring expertise, insight and fresh perspectives that enable us to maximise our global impact.
Drop us a message if you’d like to work with us to end plastic waste, explore membership opportunities, media partnerships, or other enquiries.
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