About us

Turning commitments to end plastic pollution into collective action and shared opportunity.

Hosted by the World Economic Forum, the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) is the world's largest multistakeholder initiative dedicated to ending plastic pollution.

Through a global network of National Plastic Action Partnerships, GPAP brings together governments, businesses and civil society to accelerate the transition to a circular economy for plastics — driving coordinated action at national, regional, and global levels.

By fostering collaboration across the plastics value chain, strengthening policy frameworks and mobilizing investment, GPAP helps countries reduce plastic pollution while building more resilient, competitive and inclusive economies.

History

From one partnership to a global movement.

2018

GPAP is launched by the World Economic Forum and founding partners to accelerate action on plastic pollution through multistakeholder collaboration.

2019–2021

The first National Plastic Action Partnerships are established, demonstrating the value of country-led collaboration.

2022–2024

GPAP expands across Africa, Asia and Latin America, supporting countries in designing and implementing locally owned solutions that reduce plastic pollution while advancing resilience, inclusion and sustainable growth.

2025

GPAP reaches its goal of establishing 25 National Plastic Action Partnerships by 2025, becoming the world's largest multistakeholder initiative dedicated to tackling plastic pollution and driving change for more than 1.5 billion people.

What began as a coalition of committed partners has grown into a global community of action, united by the conviction that tackling plastic pollution is not only an environmental imperative, but also an economic and societal opportunity to drive innovation, resilience and sustainable growth.

Clemence Schmid

Head of Circularity and Director of the Global Plastic Action Partnership, 
World Economic Forum

Our Approach

Country-led, Evidence-based, Inclusive

Ending plastic pollution requires more than individual projects. It requires systems change.

Our approach is built on three core principles.

Stakeholder ownership

Bringing together governments, businesses and civil society to co-create solutions that reflect national priorities and deliver long-term systems change.  

Evidence-based decision-making

Using data, modelling and local expertise to help countries identify priorities and develop National Plastic Action Roadmaps that guide policy, investment and implementation.

Inclusion

By embedding gender equity and social inclusion across its work, GPAP helps ensure the transition to a circular economy creates opportunities for everyone.

Our Network

25 countries. 1 in 5 people worldwide

Today GPAP works through 25 National Plastic Action Partnerships across Africa, Asia and Latin America, driving change for 1 in 5 people worldwide.

Each partnership is an impartial, nationally led platform that brings together governments, businesses, civil society and development partners to accelerate the transition to a circular economy for plastics.

From Local Action to Global Impact

GPAP bridges country-level implementation and regional and global action. 

By connecting local leadership with international expertise, partnerships and investment, it helps translate national priorities into coordinated action while ensuring country insights help shape regional and global dialogue.

Why Partner with GPAP?

GPAP helps partners translate global ambition into country-led action.  

By working with GPAP, partners gain access to a trusted platform that connects global expertise with country-led implementation, helping accelerate action, strengthen collaboration and scale proven solutions.

Today, GPAP’s global community brings together more than 2,000 stakeholders from over 900 organizations, including governments, multinational companies, international organizations and non-profits such as the Governments of the UK and Canada, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company, Nestlé, the World Bank Group, UNEP, WWF, GEF and the World Resources Institute. 

Together, they form one of the world's largest multistakeholder networks dedicated to ending plastic pollution.

Our Impact

25

National Plastic Action Partnerships

1.5 billion people

Our partnerships drive change for 1 in 5 people worldwide

2.200+

Stakeholders collaborating across our global community

USD 3.34 billion

Mobilized by partners for plastic action

Our Community

Private sector
  • Companies across the plastic value chain: importers, producers, collectors, aggregators, recyclers, processors
  • Consumer goods manufacturers and retailers
  • Trade and industry coalitions
  • Investors and financial institutions
  • Entrepreneurs, start-ups, MSMEs
  • Technology industry
Public Sector
  • National government ministries
  • City and municipal governments
  • Policy-makers
International Organizations
  • Partner governments and diplomatic missions
  • International financing institutions
  • Multilateral organizations
  • United Nations agencies
  • International NGOs and development organizations
Informal Waste Sector
  • Waste pickers
  • Informal economy associations
  • Street vendors
Civil society and academia
  • Non-governmental organizations
  • Academic institutions 
  • Community, religious and youth leaders
  • Women’s rights organizations
  • Grassroots advocates and citizens
  • Innovators 
  • Educators
  • Citizens

Explore our Work

GPAP enables countries to focus on the activities and priorities that best meet their needs, building on existing efforts to accelerate action on plastic pollution.

01
Evidence-based decision-making
02
Inclusion
03
Biodiversity
04
Financing
05
Trade
06
Technology
07

Policy

08
Behaviour

Why It Matters

460 million tonnes 

of plastic are produced annually.

Only 9%

of plastic waste is recycled.

By 2060, 

plastic waste is projected to triple, without intervention.

USD 281 trillion

estimated cumulative cost of damage from plastic pollution (2016-2040)

Tackling plastic pollution is about building resilient economies, protecting ecosystems and unlocking sustainable growth.

Director of GPAP
Clemence Schmid

Head of Circularity & Director, Global Plastic Action Partnership, World Economic Forum

Steering Board Members
Joe Maguire

Senior Director, Global Sustainability, Procurement, The Coca-Cola Company

James Smith

Deputy Director for Marine Policy, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, United Kingdom

Jiang Ru

Practice Manager, Global Environment Department, The World Bank  

Jodie Roussell

Senior Public Affairs Manager, Packaging & Environment, Nestlé

Evelyn Swain

Senior Program Manager, Global Environment Facility

Erin Silsbe

Director, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Pedro Gómez

Head, Industry Agenda, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Partners and Stakeholders
Dawood Hercules Corporation
DEME Group
Gemini Corporation NV
Indorama Ventures
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines 
Morgan Stanley
PepsiCo
SAP
Suntory Group
The Ocean Cleanup
Unilever

Featured Publications

Unlocking Plastic Action for Inclusion, Resilience and Growth: GPAP Annual Report 2025

The GPAP Annual Report 2025 outlines the Global Plastic Action Partnership’s progress in accelerating national, regional...

Plastic Pollution and Biodiversity: a Global Overview

Every year, an estimated 130 million tonnes of plastic waste are unmanaged or improperly discarded, polluting soils, waterways and seas...

Unlocking the Plastics Circular Economy: Case Studies on Investment

To date, the majority of investment in this space is financing downstream activities in plastics waste management and recycling. This series of case...

Circular Industry Solutions for a Global Plastics Treaty

Plastic pollution is a defining environmental crisis of our time. In March 2022, 175 countries adopted a historic resolution at the fifth session of the United...

An initiative of the Centre for Nature and Climate

The World Economic Forum’s Centre for Nature and Climate is a multistakeholder platform that helps leaders make sense of complex climate and nature transitions and turn shared understanding into practical pathways for delivery.

Through communities, thought leadership and partnerships, it helps make climate and nature action integral to economic opportunity, resilience and long-term advantage.

Let's Connect

Do you work for a government, business, intergovernmental organization, or civil society? Join forces with GPAP to fast-track our collective progress towards a world free of plastic pollution.

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Cross-Sector Support
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Global Plastic Action Partnership

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