The International Waste Platform is a global network of changemakers tackling waste, pollution, and climate challenges. It all started in 2018 at the 6th International Marine Debris Conference in San Diego. Since then, our community has grown to include stakeholders from 35+ countries working collaboratively on Ocean Action, Climate Action, and the shift toward Circularity.
We connect people, ideas, and action. Through shared expertise, local and global insight, and joint initiatives, we help drive real solutions to reduce pollution from land, rivers, and seas while addressing the urgent links between waste, plastic, and the climate crisis.
We actively promote Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) — expecting producers to take full accountability for the lifecycle of their products, from design to end-of-life. No real progress can be made without their leadership in reducing waste at the source.
Lasting change happens when we work together — not in isolation. That’s why we embrace the Collective Impact approach: a powerful way to unite diverse partners around a shared mission.
🔗 One Common Agenda We align around clear, shared goals — so everyone is moving in the same direction.
🤝 Mutually Reinforcing Activities Each partner brings unique strengths. We collaborate through actions that complement and strengthen each other.
📢 Continuous Communication Open, honest, and ongoing dialogue keeps us connected, informed, and adaptable. Between March 2018 and July 2025 we have organised 20 joint meetings, facilitating exchange of knowledge between members, share updates & discuss opportunities for further joint actions.
🌍 Radical Inclusivity Everyone has a voice — from grassroots communities to global stakeholders. We believe solutions are stronger when built together. We believe in bridging top-down & bottom-up.
This approach turns collaboration into real, measurable impact — across borders, sectors, and systems.
Our Shared Objectives
As a global network, we unite around a common mission: to drive real, lasting solutions for Ocean Action, Climate Action, and the prevention of plastic pollution at its source — before it ever reaches our rivers, coastlines, and oceans.
Our members are committed to:
Aligning strategies and goals across borders and sectors
Sharing bold ideas, proven practices, and innovative programs
Spreading knowledge, tools, and opportunities that lead to impact
Taking action to eliminate plastic leakage at the source
Country and regional networks play a vital role. They lead change on the ground by:
Influencing public behavior and environmental policy
Mobilizing stakeholders at all levels — from communities to governments
Building strong, cross-sector partnerships to scale solutions
Through collaboration and shared purpose, we accelerate progress toward a cleaner, circular, and more resilience.
Driving Global Consistency for Real Impact
We push for bold, systemic change by advancing standardisation and harmonisation across the entire waste and recycling landscape:
Ensure all packaging is verifiably recyclable — no more false claims, only real solutions.
Push for full transparency in the recycling sector — from collection to processing, so that accountability becomes the norm.
Support harmonised data and monitoring protocols — enabling reliable, comparable waste and litter data across countries and regions.
Call for legislation on maximum allowed empty space in packaging — to eliminate wasteful non-functional ‘slack-fill’ and reduce unnecessary resource use.
Because without aligned rules and reliable data, circular solutions can’t scale. Standardisation isn’t bureaucracy — it’s the foundation for global action.
International Waste Platform 