Unilever and Alliance to End Plastic Waste collaborate in Sub-Saharan Africa

Unilever and the Alliance to End Plastic Waste have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore a joint effort to tackle plastic waste challenge in South Africa and the wider Sub-Saharan region.

Yase Godlo (left), Manager for Sustainability and Partnerships (Southern Africa) at Unilever South Africa, and Justin Wood, VP and Head of EMEA at the Alliance.

The MoU was officially signed on September 17, in Cape Town, South Africa. The collaboration aims to bring stakeholders from across the plastic value chain together, marking a key step towards supporting a systems change for the plastic waste challenge at a national level in South Africa.

Every year, approximately 3.67 million tons of waste in South Africa remain uncollected and untreated by formal waste systems, resulting in a large amount being dumped illegally.

As part of the agreement, the two organizations will jointly explore the co-development of innovative solutions for plastic waste management projects and identify funding opportunities to advance a circular economy for plastics in South Africa and the sub-Saharan region.

The projects may also include other partners including Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs), development finance institutions and commercial lenders.