How the GEF is tackling plastic pollution

Plastic pollution is a stubborn and growing environmental challenge that is affecting every country and every person on the planet, starting in the womb. The exponential rise in plastic production, consumption, and waste is having a profound impact on marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems globally. While we are still learning about the effects of plastics on the body, the hazardous chemicals released during plastic production and disposal are linked to serious health issues for humans and animals. 

Addressing this crisis aligns closely with the Global Environment Facility’s mission – supporting country-driven action to generate global environmental benefits – and its work in this area has been expanding through a variety of initiatives over the past 15 years.

In the past decade alone, roughly $1 billion of GEF funding has been channeled into plastics-related projects, generating $6.6 billion in co-financing. These investments have prevented nearly 25 million metric tons of plastics from entering the waste stream. 

Here is an overview of the GEF’s support over the past four funding periods for steps to reduce plastic pollution:

GEF-5: FOCUS ON PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS 

Beginning in 2010, the GEF started focusing on plastics through its efforts to reduce persistent organic pollutants (POPs), in the chemicals and waste focal area.

Those projects were primarily focused on reducing the release of POPs from the manufacturing of plastics and through unsound waste management and recycling practices in the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Caribbean. 

GEF-6: MARINE DEBRIS AND PLASTIC WASTE 

The GEF increased funding in its sixth funding cycle, which ran from July 2014 to June 2018, to reduce plastics waste, and directly targeted investment into a groundbreaking effort to tackle marine debris. In total, $10 million was programmed in GEF funding addressing plastic pollution, generating $56 million in co-financing. These investments prevented nearly 100 metric tons of plastics entering the waste stream. 

The project Addressing Marine Plastics – A Systemic Approach included a $2 million GEF grant and attracted co-financing of $12 million. It built partnerships with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Ocean Conservancy, and GRID Arendal as executing partners, with pilot efforts in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Viet Nam. 

The goal of the initiative was to build a global alliance across the entire plastics value chain, including major corporations, governments, and other institutions. It led to the 2018 launch of the New Plastic Economy Global Commitment, which has now been signed by more than 500 organizations, and yielded innovation prizes for materials and design. 

The project also identified and socialized waste management solutions – some of which offered investment opportunities – across the Asia Pacific, and established Circulate Capital, the first joint investment fund to address plastic pollution in the region. This work informed future GEF investments about areas of need and the drivers and leverage points for investments along the marine debris life cycle. Circulate Capital attracted significant private sector support, with more than $100 million coming from global brands including PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Dow, Danone, Unilever, Coca-Cola, and Chevron Phillips Chemical. 

GEF-7: POLICY AND PARTNERSHIP BUILDING

In the GEF-7 funding cycle, which ran from July 2018 to June 2022, plastics-related investments targeted a reduction of more than 5 million tons of plastic pollution – up 50,000 percent from the 100 metric tons reduced in the GEF-6 period. In total, $197 million was programmed, leveraging $1.5 billion in co-financing.

Initiatives included activities to bolster government policies, business practices, and public awareness that reduce plastic production, consumption and waste, and partnerships with organizations such as the Global Plastic Action Partnership and Alliance to End Plastic Waste to catalyze public-private partnerships and cross-sector, inter-ministerial collaboration. Plastics-related projects and projects addressing plastic pollution also worked to improve the livelihoods, standards of living, and health of informal sector workers – many of whom are women and children – engaged in waste picking. The goal was to support improved waste management and upstream jobs, such as those related to refill systems where consumers purchase products in reusable containers. Private sector engagement has been central to these efforts, which each included an incubator or accelerator program to boost start-ups and small businesses, such as reuse programs or alternative materials. 

• Reduce Marine Plastics and Plastic Pollution in Latin American and Caribbean Cities Through a Circular Economy Approach addresses marine plastics and marine pollution in urban areas. The program focuses on improving waste management, fostering community engagement, and encouraging sustainable consumption to reduce plastic waste and its impact on marine ecosystems.
• Establishing a Circular Economy Framework for the Plastics Sector in Ghana seeks to reduce plastic waste and enhance recycling efforts. By engaging stakeholders across the value chain, the project aims to promote sustainable practices and create economic opportunities while minimizing environmental impacts.
• Promoting Resource Efficiency and Circularity to Reduce Plastic Pollution for Asia and the Pacific focuses on combatting plastic pollution in Asia and the Pacific. It aims to support countries in implementing sustainable policies, improving waste management systems, and fostering innovation to reduce plastic waste and its adverse effects on the environment.
• Plastik Sulit: Accelerating Circular Economy for Difficult Plastics in Indonesia aims to tackle the challenge of hard-to-recycle plastics in Indonesia by supporting circular economy solutions and innovative recycling technologies. It focuses on engaging stakeholders, enhancing local capacities, and developing sustainable waste management strategies to reduce plastic pollution in the country.
• Innovating Eco-Compensation Mechanisms in Yangtze River Basin seeks to develop and implement eco-compensation mechanisms in the Yangtze River Basin to encourage sustainable land and water management. By incentivizing conservation and restoration efforts, the initiative aims to protect biodiversity, improve ecosystem services, and enhance the livelihoods of local communities.
• The ISLANDS Program focuses on enhancing the resilience and sustainability of island communities through integrated approaches to land and ocean management. It aims to promote biodiversity conservation, strengthen local economies, and foster climate adaptation strategies to address the unique challenges faced by Small Island Developing States.
• The Circular Economy Regional Initiative (CERI) is designed to spur the transition to a circular economy in Türkiye and the Balkans by supporting sustainable waste management practices and resource efficiency. It aims to enhance regional collaboration, develop policy frameworks, and encourage innovative business models to reduce waste and promote sustainable development.
• The Financing Agrochemical Reduction and Management (FARM) program is working to reduce the use of hazardous agrochemicals and encourage sustainable agricultural practices through innovative financing mechanisms. By engaging farmers and stakeholders, the initiative seeks to enhance resource efficiency, improve food safety, and minimize environmental impacts associated with agrochemical use.

GEF-8: CIRCULAR ECONOMY APPROACH 

In the current and eighth funding cycle, which started in July 2022 and extends until June 2026, GEF investments have sought to promote a circular economy approach, with interventions spanning the entire plastics value chain – from production and consumption to disposal. In total GEF has programmed $840 million, leveraging almost $5 billion in co-financing, and preventing nearly 20 million metric tons of plastics entering the waste stream.

Projects have focused on strengthening plastic reduction policies, designing circular systems for plastics in use, increasing collection and recycling, and improving waste management. Other initiatives have included efforts to reduce PVC plastic waste, plastic waste flows from cruise ships, and plastics related to vehicles and electrical and electronic materials. These efforts have involved the private sector through extended producer responsibility programs, which hold businesses accountable for the entire lifecycle of their plastic products. 

A key piece of the puzzle is the Plastic Reboot Integrated Program, the largest GEF-funded initiative on plastics to date. Plastic Reboot focuses on reducing plastic pollution in the food and beverage industry – a major consumer of single-use plastics – by promoting circular economy approaches, sustainable product design, and waste management innovations. It aims to align policies, investments, and industry practices to eliminate problematic plastics, enhance recycling systems, and drive systemic change across global supply chains. 

Another key initiative is the Plastic Reduction in the Oceans: Sustaining and Enhancing Actions on Sea-based Sources (PRO-SEAS) project, which looks to tackle plastic pollution from maritime activities, including fishing, shipping, and offshore industries. It promotes policy reforms, waste management innovations, and industry engagement to prevent marine plastic leakage and protect ocean ecosystems. 

Other examples: 

• The Integrated Collaborative Approaches for Sustainable Tourism (iCOAST) program promotes sustainable tourism practices that protect coastal and marine ecosystems while supporting local economies. It focuses on reducing environmental impacts, enhancing climate change resilience, and fostering collaboration between governments, businesses, and communities to ensure long-term sustainability in the tourism sector.
• Circular and POPs-free Plastics in Africa aims to reduce plastic pollution and eliminate POPs by promoting circular economy solutions across the continent. It focuses on reducing the import, production and use of POPs in plastic-containing products in the automobile, construction and electronics sectors, and the generation of POPs.
• The Eliminating Hazardous Chemicals from Supply Chains Integrated Program reduces the use and release of toxic chemicals by promoting safer alternatives, sustainable production, and stronger regulatory frameworks. It aims to transform global supply chains by engaging with industries, supporting policy reforms, and encouraging innovation to eliminate POPs and other hazardous substances.
• The Blue and Green Islands Integrated Program is working to enhance the resilience of Small Island Developing States by promoting integrated approaches to biodiversity conservation and sustainable land and ocean management. It focuses on strengthening local capacities, fostering sustainable livelihoods, and implementing innovative financing mechanisms to support the transition towards blue and green economies in vulnerable island communities.