Prevented Ocean Plastic™ is proud to sponsor academic research, support original studies, and ask tough questions. New research to study the lives and livelihoods of the first collector community in Indonesia begins today.
Previously, Prevented Ocean Plastic™ have surveyed consumer feelings around recycled packaging, collected data about the people preventing ocean plastic in Ecuador, and in 2023, announced direct funding for a new research project to broaden understanding of how litter on land ends up in our oceans.
The research starting today, commissioned by Prevented Ocean Plastic™, ultimately aims to better understand the characteristics and diversity within the collector community, their collection practices, patterns and economics. The results will allow for a more precise tailoring of not just the Prevented Ocean Plastic programme but other programmes or policies which seek to maximize efficiency within the recycled plastics supply chain and ultimately improve the socioeconomic circumstances of the collector community.
Fieldwork in action: Above, a representative of the Warmadewa Research Centre, and Indah Rosita Dewi from Prevented Ocean Plastic Southeast Asia sit down with first collectors.
It is estimated that 15-20 million people work in informal waste collection worldwide. In many developing countries these first collectors supply the only form of waste collection and form the foundation of the recycled materials value chain, yet their work goes largely unrecognised. The Prevented Ocean Plastic™ programme will always work to find out more about this vitally important but often marginalised community.
Head of Prevented Ocean Plastic Programme™ Development, Maxine van Bommel, said “As a responsible business working with the informal sector, we’re trying to create meaningful dialogue. Learning how to better engage with an often hidden part of the recycled plastics supply chain is a critical part of a just transition.”
The study will be carried out across three separate islands of Indonesia, selected based on cultural diversity, programme importance and length of operation of the collection centres, over the next four months.
The team at Prevented Ocean Plastic Southeast Asia (POPSEA) have been working with the Warmadewa Research Centre, speaking to first collectors at the collection centre and out in the community. The group will continue to carry out the fieldwork for this lives and livelihoods research. The work will be completed by July 2025 and Prevented Ocean Plastic™ plans to proudly share more key milestones here along the way.
About PREVENTED OCEAN PLASTIC™:
Prevented Ocean Plastic™ is high quality, certified recycled plastic that has been collected from coastal areas at risk of ocean plastic pollution. Used by supermarkets and brands around the world, it meets regulatory health and safety standards, is traceable back to source and can be identified on-pack through its distinctive triangular logo. Prevented Ocean Plastic™ supply major manufacturing partners such as Groupe Guillin, Spectra Packaging, and Berry Global for offerings across multiple product categories, including food and drink, personal care, pet products and home cleaning. Prevented Ocean Plastic™ is an award-winning, three-time Earthshot Prize nominee, and has collected over 2.5 billion plastic bottles from where they don’t belong since 2020.
