Global
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Organization
100 Projects in 100 Countries
Year-round rolling competition from the Rotary Club of Newport Beach Global Service Committee, presented with the Environmental Xperience at EarthX and CNN’s Call to Earth.
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Organization
5 Gyres Institute
Santa Monica, California, USA | Founded 2009
Science-led nonprofit that measured plastic in all five subtropical ocean gyres and uses that research to drive policy and corporate change.
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Technology
AI and robotic sorting
Commercial, widely deployed
Cameras, near-infrared sensors and machine learning identify each item on a recycling line and robots or air jets pick it out, raising purity and capture.
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Organization
Alliance to End Plastic Waste
Singapore
Industry-funded alliance investing in waste collection and recycling projects. Listed for reference; its members include major plastic producers.
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Law or Bill
Basel Convention plastic waste amendments
International | In force since January 2021
Since 2021, shipments of mixed or contaminated plastic waste between countries need the prior consent of the importing country.
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Organization
Basel Convention Secretariat
Geneva, Switzerland
Its plastic waste amendments, in force since 2021, require consent before hard-to-recycle plastic waste is shipped between countries.
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Organization
Break Free From Plastic
Founded 2016
Global movement of thousands of organizations; its brand audits identify which companies’ packaging is found most often in the environment.
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Organization
Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty
Companies, financial institutions and NGOs, convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WWF, asking for harmonised global rules.
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Organization
CIEL (Center for International Environmental Law)
Washington, DC and Geneva
Legal experts tracking the plastics treaty and the health impacts of plastic across its life cycle.
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Technology
Compostable and bio-based plastics (PHA, PLA)
Commercial, with limits
Plastics made from plants or microbes that can break down under the right conditions. Useful for food-soiled items, but only where composting exists.
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Organization
EarthX
Dallas, Texas, USA
Dallas-based environmental nonprofit behind one of the world’s largest Earth Day gatherings; host of the Environmental Xperience.
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Organization
Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Cowes, United Kingdom | Founded 2010
Leading circular economy think tank; its Global Commitment brings together companies and governments behind shared targets for plastic packaging.
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Organization
EndPlasticSoup (Rotary)
Amsterdam, Netherlands | Founded 2018
Rotary movement started by Amsterdam clubs in 2018 that mobilizes Rotary, Rotaract and Interact clubs worldwide to end plastic soup by 2050.
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Organization
ESRAG (Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group)
Rotary Action Group that supports clubs on environmental projects; home of the Plastic Solutions Taskforce and EndPlasticSoup.
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Organization
GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives)
Network of grassroots groups building zero waste cities and fair work for waste pickers, as an alternative to burning plastic.
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Organization
Global Plastic Action Partnership
Hosted by the World Economic Forum; helps countries build national plastic action roadmaps with government, business and civil society.
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Law or Bill
Global Plastics Treaty (UN negotiations)
International | Negotiations resuming; next formal session expected March 2027
A legally binding treaty on plastic pollution across its full life cycle, under negotiation since 2022.
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Organization
High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution
Group of countries, co-chaired by Norway and Rwanda, pushing for a treaty that covers the full life cycle of plastic, including production.
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Organization
IUCN
Gland, Switzerland
International Union for Conservation of Nature; runs plastic programmes with island and coastal states. EarthX is an IUCN member.
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Organization
Minderoo Foundation
Perth, Australia
Publishes the Plastic Waste Makers Index, which traces single-use plastic back to the companies that produce the polymer.
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Technology
Molded plant fiber packaging
Commercial
Trays, bowls, cup lids and clamshells pressed from plant fibre replace foam and rigid plastic in food service and produce packaging.
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Technology
Mono-material and design for recycling
Commercial
Redesigning multilayer pouches, sleeves and caps so a package is made of one recyclable plastic, following recycler design guides.
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Organization
Ocean Conservancy
Washington, DC, USA
Runs the International Coastal Cleanup, whose volunteer data on what washes up has shaped bans and product redesigns around the world.
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Organization
Ocean Recovery Alliance
Hong Kong
Hong Kong based group behind practical tools that help cities and businesses measure and reduce plastic leakage.
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Organization
OECD Environment Directorate
Paris, France
Publishes the Global Plastics Outlook, the most cited economic projections of plastic use, waste and leakage to 2060.
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Organization
One Earth One Ocean
Munich and Kiel, Germany | Founded 2011
German nonprofit that builds its own waste-collecting boats and runs local collection and sorting teams to clear plastic from rivers, harbours and coasts.
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Technology
Open-source community recycling
Widely used at small scale
Small shredders, extruders and presses built from free plans let schools, makerspaces and villages recycle plastic into products locally.
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Organization
Parley for the Oceans
Works with brands and creatives on its Avoid, Intercept, Redesign strategy, turning intercepted plastic into products.
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Organization
Plastic Free Foundation (Plastic Free July)
Perth, Australia | Founded 2011
Runs the Plastic Free July challenge, which millions of people join each year to cut single-use plastic at home, school and work.
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Organization
Plastic Oceans International
Uses documentary film and education to change how people use plastic, with chapters in several countries.
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Organization
Plastic Pollution Coalition
Founded 2009
Alliance of organizations, businesses and individuals working for a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts.
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Organization
Plastic Soup Foundation
Amsterdam, Netherlands | Founded 2011
Amsterdam advocacy group focused on microplastics, human health and education, and a reference partner for Rotary’s EndPlasticSoup.
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Organization
PR3 Reuse Standards
Develops shared standards so reusable containers work across brands, retailers and return points.
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Organization
Precious Plastic
Founded 2013
Free open-source plans for small shredders, extruders and presses so any community can recycle plastic into products locally.
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Technology
Pyrolysis and other chemical recycling
Mixed record
Heats mixed plastic without oxygen to make oils. Promoted as a fix for hard-to-recycle plastic, but its benefits are strongly debated.
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Technology
Recycling ships at sea: the SeeElefant
In development; first ship planned for 2027
A converted freighter with sorting, shredding and recycling systems on board that can anchor at plastic hotspots with no recycling capacity and process about 60,000 tonnes a year.
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Technology
Reuse and refill systems
Commercial, scaling
Returnable cups, food containers and refill stations replace single-use packaging entirely, with washing and logistics shared across businesses.
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Technology
River interceptors and booms
Deployed in many countries
Floating barriers and conveyor systems anchored in rivers catch plastic before it reaches the sea, where it is far harder to recover.
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Organization
RiverRecycle
Helsinki, Finland | Founded 2019
Finnish company that installs river cleaning systems on heavily polluted rivers and turns the collected plastic into building boards, creating local jobs.
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Organization
Rotary International
Evanston, Illinois, USA
More than a million members in over 46,000 clubs. The environment became Rotary’s seventh area of focus in 2020, opening Foundation grants to plastic projects.
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Organization
Seabin Project
Australia
Floating bins for marinas and ports that catch floating litter and microplastics, paired with local data and school programmes.
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Organization
Seas & Straws
Bocas del Toro, Panama, and Germany | Founded 2018
Founded by eco warrior Jana Koebel: a plastic-free living and travel hub, plastic-free consulting for hotels, and on-the-ground recycling projects with One Earth One Ocean in Bocas del Toro, Panama.
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Organization
Surfrider Foundation
San Clemente, California, USA | Founded 1984
Coastal network whose chapters win local bag and foam bans and certify Ocean Friendly Restaurants that drop single-use plastic.
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Organization
Take 3 for the Sea
Australian movement asking everyone to pick up three pieces of rubbish whenever they leave the beach, a waterway or anywhere else.
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Organization
The Environmental Xperience
Global sustainability event series at EarthX where projects like RiverRecycle and One Earth One Ocean present their work.
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Organization
The Ocean Cleanup
Rotterdam, Netherlands | Founded 2013
Develops river Interceptors to stop plastic before it reaches the sea and large ocean systems to remove plastic already floating in garbage patches.
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Organization
UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
Nairobi, Kenya
Hosts the negotiations for a global plastics treaty and runs the Clean Seas campaign, which One Earth One Ocean has partnered with since 2018.
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Organization
WWF: No Plastic in Nature
WWF’s global plastics programme, working on the treaty, extended producer responsibility and reuse systems.