Project “Stop” Announced at Our Ocean Conference

At the Our Ocean conference on 5-6 October 2017 in Malta, Borealis, Borouge, mtm plastics and SYSTEMIQ announced Project STOP (Stopping the Tap on Ocean Plastics) – a EUR 4 million initiative to accelerate waste management system improvements in South-East Asia.At the Our Ocean conference on 5-6 October 2017 in Malta, Borealis is announcing Project STOP (Stopping the Tap on Ocean Plastics) – a EUR 4 million initiative to accelerate waste management system improvements in South-East Asia. The project aims to make a scalable front-line contribution to marine plastic debris prevention and ocean health. It will be driven and co-funded with local and global partners, and aims to launch in Indonesia in 2018.

Borealis joined forces with Borouge, mtm and SYSTEMIQ to develop this new initiative, focusing on prevention of marine plastic debris from mismanaged waste on land. South-East Asia has been identified as a major source of marine plastic debris as economic development and plastics consumption have outpaced the expansion of waste management systems in the region.

From July to September 2017, a successful feasibility and scoping assessment was carried out in Indonesia. The feasibility and scoping assessment tested the concept of “system-enabler” partnerships with city governments –  providing expertise and support to transition the waste management system to a zero-leakage pathway with increasing rates of plastics recycling, job creation in new after-use economies and public health benefits.  The first city partnership will be launched in 2018.

After the first city partnership has been successfully established, our ambition is to contribute to wider scale-up and replication in the region.