Washington, DC – A Reuters story out this week details the collapse of a flagship project from the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, a coalition of oil and gas and consumer goods companies that claim to be investing in plastic cleanup efforts and waste management infrastructure to address the pollution crisis. The effort in India, Renew Oceans, was touted as “one of the best projects we’ve got” at a launch event for the Alliance in 2019. The Alliance previously claimed its partnership with Renew Oceans would be expanded and “ultimately could stop the flow of plastic into the planet’s oceans.”
The Alliance, which includes companies like Dow, ExxonMobil, Chevron Phillips, Procter & Gamble, and PepsiCo, launched its $1.5 billion initiative in early 2019. Greenpeace has criticized the effort as a distraction from the fossil fuel industry’s $180 billion expansion of plastic production facilities.
In response to the Reuters story this week, Greenpeace USA Oceans Campaign Director John Hocevar said:
“The Alliance to End Plastic Waste is an industry scam designed to allow for endless plastic production. While we have known since its launch that the Alliance is a distraction from the industry’s investment in plastic, this Reuters story makes it crystal clear that its $1.5 billion effort is about nothing more than landing a few greenwashed headlines. The same fossil fuel companies that are doubling down on plastic production have claimed that projects like Renew Oceans can stop the flow of plastics into our oceans. Everyone, including the industry executives behind the Alliance, knows that is a lie.
“Any consumer goods company that claims to care about the plastic pollution crisis should cut ties with the Alliance immediately. Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo are not doing their image any favors by partnering with the world’s biggest polluters on small scale initiatives that have not shown any real results. If consumer goods companies want to make a real difference on pollution it is time to get serious about reducing plastic production.”
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Contact: Perry Wheeler, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, P: 301-675-8766
