Project STOP Ocean Plastics
(STOP)

Project STOP (Stop Ocean Plastics)

Advancing waste management and stopping plastic leakage to oceans in South-East Asia

The past 65 years have seen plastics production increase from 1.5 a year to 300 million tonnes*. Plastic materials are used increasingly across all sectors, mainly due to their convenience for consumers and their versatility in design and functionality. Plastics also bring tangible economic, environmental and social benefits, including food waste reduction, better crop production, higher energy efficiency, reduced CO2 emissions and lower water demand. However, the world population continues to grow, and consumption patterns change. Along with the lack of adequate end-of-life waste management and the issue of littering, all these factors have contributed to global marine pollution. Stopping the leakage of plastics into the oceans is a global challenge.  

Borealis and SYSTEMIQ  have joined forces on a new initiative to stop plastic waste from leaking into the environment. This initiative will improve public health and ultimately drive resource efficiency through a circular economy of plastics in South-East Asia. 

*https://www.economist.com/international/2018/03/03/the-known-unknowns-of-plastic-pollution

Project STOP: A holistic system-enabler approach to create more circular and sustainable waste management systems

Project STOP works with governments and cities to create effective waste management systems that collect waste from every household and business in order to eliminate leakage of plastics into the ocean. It also aims to create circular waste systems in which the majority of hard-to-recycle waste is recycled into new products. The resulting economic value lowers the financial burden of the waste system on the city. 

Furthermore, the STOP team supports cities with technical expertise and skills transfer, funding, and ongoing implementation support. Insights and approaches are shared globally, thus magnifying their impact.

The three Project STOP objectives:

1. Zero leakage of waste into the environment  
2. Increased resource efficiency and recycling of plastics  
3. Benefits for the local community by creating new jobs in the waste management system and reducing the impacts of mismanaged waste on public health, tourism and fisheries.

Initiated in spring 2017 by co-founders Borealis and SYSTEMIQ, Project STOP was publicly launched in October 2017 at the Our Oceans Conference in Malta. Since then, Borealis JV partner Borouge and sister company NOVA Chemicals as well as Nestlé, the Norwegian Government and Veolia have joined the programme. The first city partnership was started in April 2018 in Muncar, a coastal fishing community located in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia.

Watch the video below to learn more about the project.

Click here to learn how Borealis further advances the circular economy of plastics.