PREVENT Waste Alliance – working together for the circular economy

Context

Every year, around two billion tonnes of household waste are produced worldwide. In developing countries, only four per cent of waste is recycled and 15 to 20 million people work in the informal waste management sector, many of them under inhumane working conditions.

It is therefore imperative to find ways to move from a linear economic system to a circular economy. In other words, resources must be reused instead of being dumped or burned as they have been to date. There are already numerous workable solutions for this, but the global Sustainable Development Goals in the management of waste and recycling can only be achieved through joint action. A circular economy requires close cooperation between numerous participants along the global value chains.

Objective

A functioning and inclusive circular economy preserves natural resources and reduces waste in the environment, especially in developing countries and emerging economies.

Approach

The PREVENT Waste Alliance brings together different actors from the private sector, academia, civil society and public institutions. It serves as a platform for exchange and international cooperation. The members of the PREVENT Waste Alliance work together for the prevention, collection and recycling of waste, and the reuse of resources in the economy worldwide.

PREVENT’s members

• share their knowledge relating to the circular economy,
• link different perspectives and act in international, cross-sectoral partnerships,
• develop scalable solutions and test them in different countries,
• help shape international guidelines and standards.

Priority topics include plastic waste, e-waste and organic waste. The PREVENT members also work on cross-cutting issues such as digitalisation, sustainable financing mechanisms and awareness raising / behaviour change.

The project hosts the secretariat for the PREVENT Waste Alliance.

Last update: January 2023