The menace of plastic pollution is one of the pressing challenges of our time. It kills wildlife, it chokes sewages and drainage systems, and not least it leaks into the ocean and threatens marine life. While plastic has revolutionized production and consumption, making what we see as modern life possible, its mismanagement has proven detrimental. Plastic is not the problem, plastic waste is. This is the view of the Plastic REVolution Foundation, and the background for our first project in Accra, Ghana.
The Plastic REVolution Foundation is founded on a commitment to combat plastic pollution in an economically sustainable way, by the Norwegian industrialist Kjell Inge Røkke. It is one of his many initiatives to improve ocean health. The Foundation is led by Erik Solheim, former Norwegian Minister of Environment and Head of the United Nations Environment Program. We invite potential partners from all sectors to join us in our mission to develop economically viable solutions to plastic waste.
Our first project is to investigate the possibilities for building a pyrolysis plant in Accra, thus supporting the development of infrastructure to tackle plastic pollution and support economic development. By assigning value to plastics, we can motivate large-scale collection through changing the way used plastics is viewed: from waste to resource.
Our ultimate objective is to develop a model for self-financing collection through the transformation of used plastics into a product of value. If this concept is proven, we can realize the plant in Accra and bring the concept to other parts of the world. This will require the support of industry, Ghanaian authorities and global actors.
We have recently implemented several pilot studies locally in collaboration with business partners and the local government, in order to explore collection models for various sources of used plastics. By working with the informal sector, we aim to mobilize large-scale collection efforts while creating livelihoods in the process.
As described in the End-of-Phase report, feedstock quality was an issue that emerged following the two pilot studies conducted by the Plastic REVolution Foundation (PRF).
Offtake is a crucial element in ensuring economic viability as the revenue-generating component of this project. There are different ways to approach offtake, and as
Extended Producer Responsibility is an environmental policy approach in which a producer’s responsibility for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product’s
This summer, the Plastic REVolution Foundation finalized a summary report of the work that had been undertaken during its first year of existence. When the
The Plastic REVolution Foundation and REV Ocean made a contribution to the Credit Suisse topical report on shareholder engagement for ocean sustainability. Motivating investors to
Erik Solheim
CEO, Plastic REVolution Foundation
erik.solheim@plasticrevolution.earth
Selma Skov Høye
Strategy Lead, Plastic REVolution Foundation
selma.hoye@plasticrevolution.earth