NextWave Plastics successfully concludes after doubling ocean plastic diversion goal and establishing a market for Ocean Bound Plastics
Collectively diverting 53, 213 tonnes of ocean bound plastic waste over a seven-year period, consortium members have demonstrated the potential of radical collaboration
NextWave Plastics, a member-led, collaborative and open-source initiative of leading multinational companies, has announced the successful completion of its program, which has collectively diverted 53,213 tonnes of ocean-bound plastic (OBP) waste since 2017.
Convened by The Circulate Initiative and co-founded by Lonely Whale and Dell Technologies, NextWave Plastics was established in 2017 to keep plastic in the economy and out of the ocean by developing the first global network of ocean-bound plastic supply chains. With the goal of diverting a minimum of 25,000 tonnes of OBP by the end of 2025, the consortium brought together over 15 companies to integrate OBP into a variety of products with the help of knowledge-sharing and expertise.
Surpassing its original goal by more than double, a year ahead of schedule, the consortium has also played a pivotal role in developing the OBP supply chain from a small handful of suppliers in 2017 to over 100 today. Beyond targets, NextWave’s efforts have provided a blueprint for what transparent, time-bound, cross-sector collaboration can achieve, setting the pace for future efforts to build a thriving market for OBP.
To support future efforts to align action, scale adoption of OBPs and inspire future initiatives, NextWave will make the consortium’s OBP supplier list publicly available for companies looking to source OBP materials.
“It has been said that constraints spark innovation, and the collective 25,000 tonne goal served as a constraint and north star that drove NextWave members to think creatively about how to incorporate ocean-bound plastic into their products and packaging. The rapid adoption of OBP by NextWave members is remarkable testament to radical collaboration,” said Michael Sadowski, Executive Director at The Circulate Initiative.
“There’s power in naming where you’re going and when you’ll get there. Focused, time-bound goals create momentum—and just as importantly, they allow us to tell stories that capture not only the outcomes, but the real work, learning, and partnership that shape the journey,” said Emy Kane, Executive Director at Lonely Whale.
NextWave’s first-of-its kind Framework for Socially Responsible Ocean-Bound Plastic Supply Chains, published in 2021, was also instrumental to the development of the Harmonized Framework for Responsible Sourcing of Recycled Plastics (the Harmonized Framework). Released by The Circulate Initiative in 2024 as part of its Responsible Sourcing Initiative, the Harmonized Framework draws insights from the consortium’s work, including methods to assess data quality and evaluate participants’ ability to support human rights due diligence, provide remedies and measure impact.
Over the past seven years, NextWave Plastics has been consistently recognized for its innovation and impact, including being featured by the World Economic Forum as a model for effective cross-sector collaboration in the 2024 Global Plastics Action Partnership.
The announcement of the program’s successful completion coincides with the release of NextWave Plastic’s final Impact Report, Ripple Effect: NextWave Plastics 2024 Impact Report, which marks the successful conclusion of the program and leaves behind a legacy of measurable impact and industry collaboration that can serve as a blueprint for others to build on.