Nestlé to join “Stop” project
Borealis and Systemiq, together with their partners from the Government of Norway, Nova Chemicals, Borouge and Veolia, are pleased to welcome Nestlé as new strategic partner of Project Stop (Stop Ocean Plastics), a frontline initiative to prevent ocean plastic leakage in South-East Asia. Nestlé is the first food company to join the initiative.
Project Stop was established in 2017 by Borealis and Systemiq. The project aims to eliminate the leakage of plastics into the environment, by developing partnerships with city governments to create effective circular systems.
An estimated 80% of marine debris comes from land-based sources, with 50% originating from just five Asian economies: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand. As economic growth has increased in these countries, so has plastic consumption, which has outpaced the development of effective solid waste management systems. Current estimates show that just 45-50% of Indonesia’s urban solid waste is collected, with significant variation in performance among cities, with the rest burnt or dumped into the environment. As a result, this leakage and poor waste management have contributed to reduced fishing productivity and tourism, and a negative impact on community health.
In response, the Indonesian government announced an ambitious commitment to reduce Indonesia’s ocean plastic levels by 70% by 2025, creating a Marine Debris Action Plan. Delivery of its commitment relies on a rapid acceleration of waste management systems at the city level, combined with system-level policy, innovation and circular material design approaches. Project Stop contributes to the fulfilment of this commitment by supporting technical assistance, community engagement, improved infrastructure, and other packaging recovery solutions.
