Alliance to End Plastic Waste fires back at Greenpeace over criticism of flagship project failure

27 Jan 2021 --- The Alliance to End Plastic Waste is hitting back at accusations of greenwashing after a Greenpeace chief labeled the industry organization a sham designed to “generate positive headlines.” 

Greenpeace’s criticisms came after a Reuters investigation discovered one of the Alliance’s central projects, Renew Oceans, was being terminated. 

PackagingInsights discusses the criticisms with Jessica Lee, vice president for communications at the Alliance. 

“Unfortunately, the Reuters article contained characterizations that were inaccurate in many ways and missed out many salient points,” she asserts. 

Renew Oceans’ COVID-19 closure 
Lee explains that Renew Oceans’ termination occurred due to complications caused by COVID-19. The project was launched to dredge the Ganges of plastic waste and prevent further pollution. 

“We invest in many ideas and pioneering approaches to manage the difficult challenge of plastic waste in the environment,” she remarks.

“Under a corporate sponsorship agreement with Renew Oceans, the Alliance provided funding to the US-based charity to support its worldwide mission to reduce plastic in the ocean.” 

In turn, Renew Oceans used a portion of that funding to undertake a proof-of-concept project at India Institute of Technology-Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India, Lee continues.The Alliance says Renew Oceans’ termination occurred due to COVID-19 complications.

“Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the university and much of the work around the project was put on hold. Without any foreseeable timeframe for restarting, combined with other implementation challenges identified by Renew Oceans, the Alliance and Renew Oceans jointly decided to a mutual termination agreement in October 2020.”

A narrow lens for criticism? 
The Alliance claims that under these conditions, highlighting a single project and its failings paints an unfair picture of what is to be a long term campaign investing in many different organizations and waste projects.

“The impact of investments into infrastructure and innovation projects like Renew Oceans is not immediate, and not every investment will bear results,” says Lee. 

“There will be challenges with respect to technology and other on the ground challenges.”

Twenty other initiatives funded by the Alliance’s US$1.5 billion pledge to fight plastic waste are currently underway. 

“One of our projects, Project Stop Jembrana, just opened the first of 30 waste management facilities that will be built in Indonesia this year. This program will improve the lives of nearly seven million people and make a substantial improvement to the plastic waste challenge.” 

According to the UN, Indonesia produces approximately 3.2 million tons of plastic waste per year. 

“There is also our Closing the Loop project in Accra, Ghana. When fully operational, this will divert 500 tons of plastic waste a year and provide over a hundred jobs to the community,” continues Lee.Twenty other initiatives funded by the Alliance’s US$1.5 billion pledge to fight plastic waste are underway.

The UN estimates that Ghana currently produces around one million tons of plastic waste per year. 

Not just big oil 
The Alliance is also throwing off the characterization made by Greenpeace and Reuters that it is a front for “Big Oil.”

“We consist of 52 member companies from across the plastic value-chain, with members from the petrochemical, converter, enabler and brands segments of the value chain,” says Lee.

“Ending plastic waste in the environment requires participation from all sectors – public, private and people.”

“The Alliance seeks to work together with all stakeholders to deal with plastic waste in the environment. We believe that no one organization has the answers, and it requires all parties – governments, businesses, local authorities, non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations – working together to deal with this challenge.”

As it stands, the UN estimates that 381 million tons of plastic waste is produced globally per year and is set to double by 2034 based on current trends. 

By Louis Gore-Langton