Today, the world is focused on the issue of plastic pollution as never before. The process to agree an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution (ILBI) has made important progress and with it the fast-evolving global conversation around pollution, recycling and circularity.

The Alliance continues to contribute to that conversation by drawing on our on-the-ground experience. We believe the knowledge and expertise gleaned from our projects around the world — most of which in emerging economies — are invaluable for designing the systems change needed to make real headway.

Our contributions are reflected in this year’s Progress Report. It documents our approach to testing solutions to tackle the leakage of plastic waste and advance the transition into circular economy for plastic. With our experience, backing from players all along the plastic value chain, and the ability to unlock meaningful funding to effect systems change, the Alliance is in a unique position to implement, iterate and document solutions to advance a circular economy.

The knowledge gained from projects like JingSu in Suzhou aims to tackle take-out trash by directing food and beverage waste towards over 300 collection points that have been set up around the city and in schools. It involves a partnership with GIZ, Germany's development cooperation organisation. and is emblematic of our broader approach to develop, de-risk, and demonstrate Solution Models that address plastic waste in different situations and contexts and we aim to replicate at scale.

In 2023, our projects continued to make good progress as they matured and expanded. To date, we have reduced nearly 120,000 tonnes of unmanaged plastic waste and valorised almost 130,000 tonnes. Our education programmes have also reached over 270,000 participants. The Alliance was also able to unlock significant funds from beyond our membership. Since our inception, US$368.8 million in funding has been committed by other parties and impact investors to initiatives that advance our mission. You can read more about our impact and what else needs to be done here.

The solutions are not simple, but it is clear that ensuring that existing plastic waste is systematically collected and valorised is an integral component in establishing the foundations for a circular economy for plastics.

We invite you to join us in that effort.