Swiss food and drink company Nestlé has joined the anti-marine litter project STOP (Stop Ocean Plastics) in a bid to advance its “waste-free future” vision.
The STOP project was launched in 2017 by polyolefin manufacturer Borealis and SYSTEMIQ, supplier of sustainable solutions for land-use, material and energy systems, to address the growing issue of ocean plastics. Other partners include the government of Norway, Nova Chemicals, Borouge and Veolia.
The first round of the joint initiative is now being rolled out in Indonesia, where the partners are working with the authorities to eliminate the leakage of plastics into the ocean, increase plastics recycling and support the wider system changes for a plastics circular economy. The first city-partnership is currently being implemented in city of Muncar, a major fishing port in East Java.
Solid waste collection rates in Indonesia today stand at 45-50%, with the poor waste management impacting fishing productivity, tourism, and community health.
In 2017, the Indonesian government announced an ambitious commitment to reduce ocean plastic levels by 70% by 2025. Project STOP will be contributing to the fulfilment of the pledge.
“It's extremely concerning that the lack of sustainable waste management systems and practices have contributed to the escalation of the problem of marine litter,” explained Borealis CEO Alfred Stern on 15 Jan, welcoming Nestlé as the first food company to join the project.
The move is part of Nestlé's broader vision to achieve a “waste-free future” and its commitment to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025, according to Magdi Batato, global head of operations, Nestlé.
“Over the coming months, we will take the learnings from this project to other countries where we operate, in an effort to deliver ‘plastic neutrality' in those markets,” he added.