The Circulate Initiative: Mapping Local Plastic Recycling Supply Chains

Assess plastic recycling supply chains in India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Identify interventions to improve local plastic waste collection and recycling.

  • Evaluate plastic waste flows, map local supply chains, and track economics.
  • Conduct in-country interviews with local supply chain actors.
  • Develop playbooks with infrastructure and economic analysis.
  • Provided understanding of wastesheds in PET, LDPE, HDPE, and PP plastics.
  • Published reports by The Circulate Initiative for broader insights.
  • Delivered company-specific recommendations for investment opportunities.

Objectives

Plastic recycling supply chains are often local and unique as they rely on many informal transactions driven by local conditions, traditions, and cultures, as well as local and regional infrastructure and markets.

Very few existing studies on national waste flows explore the plastic supply chains in a more localised context.

Recognising this need The Circulate Initiative selected Anthesis to be the lead research partner to conduct a detailed assessment of wastesheds in India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Anthesis was supported by in-country partners to carry out the local interviews. The in-country partners were Evergreen Labs for Vietnam, PRO India for India, Rebel (with Waste4Change) for Indonesia, and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) for Thailand.

The research aims to create a better understanding of the wastesheds and suggests potential interventions to grow plastics recycling and reduce environmental impact by:

  • Evaluating the plastic waste flows through the formal and informal waste sector.
  • Mapping the supply chains for plastic waste at a local level, including the key actors, infrastructure, and influencing regulations.
  • Tracking the economics of plastic recycling at each stage of the local plastic supply chains and the key factors influencing prices.
  • Identifying interventions to improve supply chains and increase plastic recycling.

Anthesis was an invaluable partner in data gathering, analysis, and facilitating discussions among various stakeholders. The study showed their in-depth understanding of the requirements for an efficient plastics recycling system.

Umesh Madhavan Research Director, The Circulate Initiative