Project STOP part of team nominated for Earthshot Prize
We are incredibly proud and excited to be part of a team nominated for the 2026 Earthshot Prize – the world’s most prestigious environmental award, launched by Prince William and Sir David Attenborough to accelerate groundbreaking solutions that help repair and regenerate our planet.
Project STOP Banyuwangi has been nominated as part of Circular Banyuwangi, working to build Indonesia’s first regency-wide circular plastics system across coastal urban and rural communities.
Circular Banyuwangi brings together local leaders, indigenous communities, informal workers, scientists, enterprises and government agencies committed to reshaping how plastics are designed, sold, used and managed – from product design and retail to collection, sorting, reuse and recycling. The initiative is grounded in systems science, Living Labs and real-world monitoring, ensuring that solutions are evidence-based, locally owned and scalable.
The programme builds directly on Project STOP Banyuwangi , which provides the backbone of circular waste services in the regency. The Banyuwangi Hijau currently provides access to waste services for 340,000 residents, with a pathway to reach 1.4 million people through its long-term partnership with the Banyuwangi Regency Government (Banyuwangi Hijau).
Circular Banyuwangi will expand this foundation by integrating scientific evidence, innovation, monitoring and evaluation across the full value chain to stop plastic leakage into rivers and the sea :
- Designing and implementing integrated waste collection and sorting systems
- Incubating circular ventures that reduce single-use plastics
- Scaling refill and reuse models tested directly in local markets
- Introducing alternative seaweed-based packaging solutions
Coordinating local government and community action
Circular Banyuwangi is led by PISCES Relay, working in partnership with National Ministries, Banyuwangi Regency Government, Project STOP, Enviu, Alner, BIOPAC, Emvitrust and other community partners — with BVRio as our official Earthshot Prize nominator.
We look forward to supporting Banyuwangi as it transitions toward a fully circular plastics system, and to helping replicate proven models across Indonesia and the wider Global South.
Since its introduction, the Project STOP Banyuwangi Hijau App has received external recognition, receiving prestigious awards from the Art Directors Club (ADC), earning one bronze and two other awards, recognizing it as an exemplary Native Android App promoting sustainable waste disposal in Indonesia. The ADC awards brings together approximately 800 leading figures in creative communication annually, honoring outstanding achievements in communication and design.
For more information about Project STOP please visit: www.stopoceanplastics.com
For more information about the Bayuwangi Hijau App, visit: https://banyuwangihijau.cargo.site/
Media contacts
Borealis:
Borealis Group Media Desk
Tel: +43 1 22 400 899 (Vienna, Austria)
E-mail: [email protected]
Systemiq:
Ulrike Stein, Senior Communications Manager, Systemiq
Tel: +44 782 705 8082 (London, UK)
E-Mail: [email protected]
Accenture:
Helena Binder
Tel.: +49 152 525 057 37 (Germany)
e-mail: [email protected]
For more information about Project STOP please visit: www.stopoceanplastics.com
For more information about the Bayuwangi Hijau App, visit: https://banyuwangihijau.cargo.site/
For more information about Project STOP please visit: www.stopoceanplastics.com
About Project STOP
Launched in 2017 by Borealis and Systemiq, Project STOP (STop Ocean Plastics) works hand-in-hand with city governments to create effective circular waste management systems in high-need areas of Southeast Asia. The initiative supports cities with technical expertise to achieve zero-leakage of waste, increase recycling, build economically sustainable programs, creating new jobs and reducing the harmful impact of mismanaged waste on public health, tourism, and fisheries. The first city partnership was established in 2017 in the municipality of Muncar, East Java, followed by others in Pasuruan, East Java and Jembrana, Bali. In February 2022, Project STOP Muncar was handed over to the local government and community. In March 2023 Project STOP Pasuruan was handed over to the government and community and in June 2023 Project STOP Jembrana was fully handed over to the local regency government.
Now the programme expands to the Banyuwangi regency—combining a regency level waste system model with a material aggregator into a circular waste and recycling solution that can transform waste economics.
For more information on Project STOP:
Website: www.stopoceanplastics.com
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About Borealis
Borealis is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced and sustainable polyolefin solutions and a European front-runner in polyolefins recycling. In Europe, we are a market leader in base chemicals and fertilizers. We leverage our polymer expertise and decades of experience to offer value adding, innovative and circular material solutions for key industries such as consumer products, energy, healthcare, infrastructure and mobility.
In re-inventing essentials for sustainable living, we build on our commitment to safety, our people, innovation and technology, and performance excellence. We are accelerating the transformation to a circular economy of polyolefins and expanding our geographical footprint to better serve our customers around the globe.
With head offices in Vienna, Austria, we employ 6,900 employees and operate in over 120 countries. In 2021, we generated total sales of EUR 12.342 EUR billion and a net profit of EUR 1,396 million. OMV, the Austria-based international oil and gas company, owns 75% of our shares, while the remaining 25% is owned by a holding company of the Abu-Dhabi based Mubadala. We supply services and products to customers around the globe through Borealis and two important joint ventures: Borouge (with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, or ADNOC, based in UAE); and Baystar™ (with TotalEnergies, based in the US)
www.borealisgroup.com | www.borealiseverminds.com
About SYSTEMIQ
SYSTEMIQ was founded in 2016 to drive the achievement of the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals by transforming markets and business models in four key systems: land use, circular materials, clean energy, and sustainable finance. A certified B-Corp, SYSTEMIQ is a global advisory and investment firm that partners with industry, government and civil society, financing, and invests in high-impact ventures with the potential to unlock economic opportunities that benefit business, society, and the environment, and deliver systems change.
To learn more, visit www.systemiq.earth.
