16 October 2019: Ghana has become the first African country to join the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), a public-private platform focused on tackling plastic pollution. In a series of events, the Group of 20 (G20) has continued to promote cooperation on marine plastic litter and resource efficiency.

The Government of Ghana announced the Ghana National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP), a partnership with the GPAP on 1 October. The Ghana NPAP will support the public, private and civil society sectors to transition to a circular plastics economy that reshapes the way the country produces, uses and re-uses plastics. As part of the partnership, Ghana’s Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) will develop a national roadmap for sustainably managing and reducing plastic waste while boosting economic growth. MESTI has developed a National Plastic Management Policy that aims to transform plastics management throughout the value chain. MESTI Minister, Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, said Ghana’s transition towards a circular plastic economy will accelerate progress towards many of the SDGs, including by helping to create new jobs in the sustainable waste management sector and protecting women, children and vulnerable communities from “the damaging effects of mismanaged plastic waste.”

The GPAP aims to help “translate political and corporate commitment to address plastic pollution into tangible strategies and investible action plans.” GPAP brings together the public, private, civil society and academic sectors to fast-track circular economy solutions and stop plastic pollution from source to sea by 2025. Indonesia was the first country to join the GPAP.

Participants adopted a ‘Roadmap for the G20 Resource Efficiency Dialogue,’ with specific policies and actions to be taken by G20 members. 

Following the June 2019 G20 Osaka Summit, the UN University’s Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), Japan’s Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry co-organized a series of events on marine plastic litter and resource efficiency. The events offered an opportunity for G20 members to share country policies, challenges and best practices on marine plastic litter. Participants adopted a ‘Roadmap for the G20 Resource Efficiency Dialogue,’ with specific policies and actions to be taken by G20 members. Japan, for example, will focus on international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific and Africa regions. The European Union (EU) will focus on finance, and the US will focus on food loss. Saudi Arabia, the incoming G20 President, announced that it will continue the G20’s focus on marine plastic litter and resource efficiency.

Also on plastic, the European Commission (EC) is funding a project to increase consumer demand for electronic and electrical products made with recycled plastic. The Post-Consumer High-tech Recycled Polymers for a Circular Economy (PolyCE) consortium launched a two-year campaign to raise awareness among consumers and manufacturers on the benefits of recycled plastic for the environment, including avoiding carbon dioxide emissions from making new plastic and reducing pressure on waste systems. The project is also working with manufacturers to improve designs to incorporate recycled plastic and ensure plastic components are more easily recovered for recycling as part of efforts to promote a circular economy. [GEF Press Release] [GPAP Website] [UNU Press Release] [G20 Dialogue Event Webpage] [UNU Press Release on PolyCE Project]