SIG and partners join forces to deliver systemic solutions to ocean-bound packaging waste

SIG and its project partners Plastic Bank, the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, and decision context have launched “Recycle for Good – Prevent Marine Litter”, an ambitious initiative to reduce packaging waste littering in Southeast Asia. The project targets to prevent at least 10,000 tons of waste from entering the ocean and is funded through ZUG (Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft), on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN).

The 3-year project is designed to prevent ocean-bound plastic by strengthening collection and recycling systems for all types of packaging, including beverage cartons and plastics, in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Implementation across Southeast Asia with clear targets

The project is running until November 2028. It aims to prevent at least 10,000 tons of packaging waste from entering the ocean while directly engaging around 100,000 people, including students, teachers, households, and informal waste collectors, in improved waste segregation and recycling practices. Implementation takes place in close cooperation with local recyclers, Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs), schools, and public authorities.

Driving behaviour change through education

A core pillar of Recycle for Good – Prevent Marine Litter is behaviour change, with a strong focus on schools as catalysts for community action. By empowering pupils as change agents, the project promotes waste segregation at source and responsible disposal practices, extending beyond schools into households and local communities and helping to establish long-term recycling habits.

Digital tools to support long-term engagement

This behavioural approach is supported by Plastic Bank’s digital platform, which is being further developed and tailored specifically for use in schools. Through gamification features such as rewards, challenges, and collective goals, the platform incentivises correct segregation and collection of packaging waste across all relevant material streams, including beverage cartons and flexible packaging. The solution is designed to support habit formation, collaboration, and sustained engagement rather than short-term behavioral change.

Scientific, analytical and strategic expertise

The Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy contributes scientific expertise through sustainability research and analysis, environmental impact evaluation, and the development of policy and system insights related to plastic waste management.

Decision context provides strategic analysis and data-driven decision support for behaviour change initiatives and in modelling of their impact, helping to inform evidence-based decision-making and maximising the project’s effectiveness.

The SIG Foundation contributes its social-impact expertise as a strategic, non-operational partner. It strengthens the project’s social dimension, provides administrative support, and contributes to project-related communication.

Strengthening infrastructure and inclusive value chains

In parallel, the project invests in local recycling infrastructure, including the upgrading and establishment of facilities capable of processing used beverage cartons and flexible plastics. By strengthening recycling capacity and integrating informal waste collectors into formal value chains, Recycle for Good improves the economic viability of recycling and supports inclusive livelihoods within local waste management systems.

Advancing systemic solutions and policy frameworks

The initiative also contributes to the advancement of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) systems by demonstrating practical, scalable recycling models and sharing data and learnings with Producer Responsibility Organisations and policymakers in the focus countries. This helps create the conditions for long-term, system-level solutions that extend beyond the project’s duration.

Funding and joint commitment

“Recycle for Good – Prevent Marine Litter” is funded through the “Marine Debris Framework – Regional hubs around the globe” (Marine:DeFRAG) initiative, managed by ZUG (Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft), on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN). The project is co-implemented by the partners and reflects a shared commitment to strengthening circular economy solutions, reducing marine litter, and building resilient recycling ecosystems in Southeast Asia.

By Peter Harding, President of UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe and CEO of Suntory Beverage & Food Europe

The EU is set to move towards a circular economy for beverage packaging. In just a couple of weeks, Members of the Environment Committee in the European Parliament will vote on their amendments to the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). In parallel, EU Member States are working towards adopting their position on this file by the end of the year. Among the key areas of attention in the PPWR is reuse and refill. It is absolutely critical that MEPs and Member States support sound measures that ensure that recycling, reuse and refill are complementary solutions, and reject proposals to increase the reuse and refill targets without further assessment of their environmental, economic and social impacts.

The EU is taking a leadership role in driving circularity and the PPWR is among the most ambitious EU policies in this regard. The European soft drinks sector, represented by UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe, supports the goals to better reduce, collect, recycle and reuse beverage packaging. We have already shown that we take bold voluntary actions to contribute to accelerating the green transition in Europe through our commitment to making our soft drinks packaging fully circular by 2030.

Our sector also supports reuse and refill systems as part of the solution to reduce packaging and packaging waste. We are already investing in these systems as a complementary action to our ongoing efforts to reduce and recycle our packaging.

It is fundamental that recycling and reusable systems are complementary solutions and MEPs and Member States should enshrine this in the PPWR. How?

Key ask 1 – Do not increase the reuse and refill targets (Art. 26) without further impact assessment

The European Commission’s impact assessment has been heavily criticised by many stakeholders, including our sector, over the last 9 months. The lack of a proper environmental and economic assessment of the implications of the reuse and refill targets proposed by the European Commission in the PPWR is worrying as legislation should always be developed on the basis of clear and granular data on the costs and benefits of the measures being proposed. So, first things first: the only way to assess the real impact of scaling up reusable systems across the EU is to thoroughly analyse the costs and benefits of setting up these systems in different Member States, different sectors and different distribution channels. As an example, the shift to 10% refillable PET as of 2030 in the EU is estimated to cost more than €16 billion, according to a PwC study.

It is very concerning to see proposals for increased reuse and refill targets for 2030 and 2040 that are not based on any further impact assessment that justifies them. Why forcing beverage manufacturers, of which a majority are SMEs, to make huge investments in reuse and refill systems in geographies or channels where existing well-functioning single-use systems make more sense from an environmental and economic perspective?

In our view, the proposed targets are already extremely challenging and therefore the focus now has to be on providing manufacturers with the necessary enablers and the flexibility to invest in the best packaging mix.

Key ask 2 – Maintain systems enabling refill in the reuse and refill targets (Art. 26)

We are all familiar with the traditional returnable refillable bottle, whereby the consumer buys a beverage bottle in a store and brings it back to the retailer for it to be refilled. This is not, however, the only system to reuse and refill – and it is not always the best solution from an environmental perspective. Asking beverage manufacturers to focus all their investment and innovation only in reuse on traditional returnable refillable bottles takes no account of consumer patterns of shopping and consuming beverages, and stifles the innovative solutions that open up possibilities to match consumers to more sustainable purchasing habits.

Today, there are several innovative reusable solutions that are convenient for consumers, are responding to new consumption habits and are helping reduce packaging as they use little to no packaging, such as home soda dispensers and refill stations in stores and horeca. Why, then, aren’t these at-home and on-the-go solutions, which are recognised by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as reuse models, counting towards the achievement of the reuse and refill targets? It makes all sense to consider them for the attainment of the reuse and refill targets. The PPWR should secure a future for these innovative refill solutions and the EU co-legislators should therefore support a broad definition of reuse and refill that includes the whole spectrum of available reusable and refill models.

Key ask 3 – Create well-designed exemptions to ensure reusable packaging is only used where and when it makes the most sense

It is essential to make sure that reusable packaging is only introduced where it makes sense from an environmental, economic and consumer perspective. To enable it, the PPWR should provide a form of exemption if certain environmental criteria are met in order to avoid unintended adverse effects of the reuse and refill targets.

Some amendments tabled in the different European Parliament’s committees involved on this file can serve as a positive source of inspiration as they recognise the role of existing well-functioning circular systems. For example, many countries are investing in achieving 90% collection of PET bottles and aluminium cans through the introduction of Deposit and Return Systems (DRS). Let’s encourage these investments!

Now is the moment for the European Parliament and EU Member States to make the PPWR more supportive and more realistic. Our sector will remain constructive and engaged with all stakeholders to help create a stable and enabling policy environment.