Nearly 30 companies from the plastics and consumer goods value chain have launched the new Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW). Building on its existing efforts for sustainability and its commitment for a circular economy, Henkel joined the Alliance as one of the founding members. The Alliance will develop and bring to scale solutions that will minimise and manage plastic waste. It will also promote solutions for used plastics by helping to enable a circular economy.

 

“As a global consumer goods and industrial company, we, at Henkel, want to contribute to ending plastic waste. Developing sustainable solutions for this challenge will only be possible if we engage and collaborate across the entire value chain – from suppliers, trade partners, consumers and organisations through to governments,” said Hans Van Bylen, CEO, Henkel and President, German Chemical Association VCI.

 

The Alliance has committed over $1 billion with the goal of investing $1.5 billion over the next five years to help end plastic waste in the environment. Members are chemical and plastic manufacturers, consumer goods companies, retailers, converters, and waste management companies – they represent the range of companies that make, use, sell, process, collect and recycle plastics. The Alliance has been working with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development as a founding strategic partner.

 

The global Alliance has the mission to advance solutions to eliminate plastic waste in the environment, especially in the ocean. Therefore, it will develop and execute Alliance-sponsored projects along with individual, company-directed investments that drive progress in four key areas namely, infrastructure development, to collect and manage waste and increase recycling; innovation, to advance and scale new technologies that make recycling and recovering plastics easier and create value from all post-use plastics; education and engagement of governments, businesses, and communities to mobilise action; and clean up of concentrated areas of plastic waste already in the environment, particularly the major conduits of waste, like rivers, that carry land-based plastic waste to the sea.

 

“Our decision to become a founding member in the Alliance reinforces our commitment to promoting a circular value chain for plastics, as demonstrated by our strategy and ambitious targets for sustainable packaging,” said Hans Van Bylen. By 2025, 100 percent of Henkel’s packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable. At the same time, the company aims to use 35 percent recycled plastic for its consumer goods products in Europe. To drive progress toward a circular value chain for plastics, Henkel follows a comprehensive approach.

 

Henkel is engaged in several cross-industry initiatives to drive innovation in packaging development and to find effective solutions which can be implemented on a large scale. The company is member of the New Plastics Economy (NPEC), an initiative led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation that brings key stakeholders together to redesign the future of plastics. NPEC is aiming to build momentum toward a plastics system based on the circular economy principle.