• The partnership supports Dow’s global commitment to help advance a circular economy for plastics and reduce plastic waste and pollution in West Africa
• By 2025, across sub-Saharan Africa, Dow aims to recover 5,000 metric tons of plastic waste; have flexible packaging included in the recyclable waste stream

Dow has today announced that it is to become an affiliate of UN-Habitat’s ‘Waste Wise Cities’, an initiative supporting cities and local governments in advancing waste management systems, in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Becoming an affiliate of the ‘Waste Wise Cities’ campaign marks an important advancement in ending the inequalities in recycling infrastructure in Kenya, and will help develop genuine innovative solutions for local communities to reduce plastic waste and better waste disposal and recycling at a local level, as well as encouraging positive behaviour and attitudes around recycling.

By 2025, across sub-Saharan Africa, Dow aims to recover 5,000 metric tons of plastic waste; have flexible packaging included in the recyclable waste stream - not just rigids and PET which are used to make used to make many common household items like beverage bottles, clothing and carpet fibre and are easily recognizable to waste pickers - and take valuable waste plastic back and recycle it to use in new applications, giving it a second life.

Dow was selected as a partner for the campaign due to the significant progress the company has made in influencing policy and raising community awareness around plastics waste management through its own initiatives in Africa, such as The Project Butterfly™, which that invests in local recycling initiatives and community awareness in Kasarani, Nairobi, Kenya.

Dow has also been instrumental in the development of the first-ever Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy in Kenya, which is under review and contributed significantly to the comprehensive solid waste management policy. This, and the work Dow does in the community aligns with one of the key goals of the ‘Waste Wise Cities’ campaign, which is to encourage a positive perception of waste, shifting mindsets so that waste is seen as a valuable resource.

Adwoa Coleman, Africa Sustainability & Advocacy Manager, Packaging and Specialty Plastics EMEA at Dow, said: “As Dow, we are proud to be an affiliate of UN-Habitat’s ‘Waste Wise Cities’ campaign and to further grow our global relationship with the UN. Becoming an affiliate of UN Habitat’s ‘Waste Wise Cities’ helps us to cross share knowledge and achieve a more significant impact through our work in reducing waste in our environment, where it doesn’t belong.

“In June, Dow announced its ambitious new sustainability targets, including; enabling 1 million metric tons of plastic to be collected, reused or recycled through our direct actions and partnerships. We are striving to solve the issue of plastic pollution through our three-pronged sustainability strategy: driving circular economy solutions, collaborating to help redesign and promote reusable or recyclable packaging applications with the lowest CO2 footprint.”

Elsewhere, Dow is also partnering with innovative recycling company Mr Green. Africa in Kenya to create a market for recycling flexible plastic waste, by investing and collaborating in key technologies and infrastructure to increase recycling. By incentivizing waste pickers with a higher, stable income and establishing sorting centers that allow waste pickers to bring plastic waste in for payment, and then enabling this waste to be processed in recycling centers, the partnership has not only created a new market for flexible plastic waste, it has made sorting materials more effective in the region.