End Plastic Pollution International Collaborative (EPPIC)
The End Plastic Pollution International Collaborative (EPPIC) is a public-private partnership launched in September of 2023 at NY Climate Week. EPPIC seeks to galvanize global action to significantly reduce plastic pollution and advance solutions to enhance circularity across the plastics lifecycle.With seed funding from the U.S. Department of State, EPPIC is spearheaded by four key partners: the Aspen Institute, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), The Ocean Foundation (TOF), and Searious Business.
EPPIC aims for a whole-of-society approach by convening multi-sector stakeholders to share common challenges and potential solutions in policy and innovation to address the plastic pollution crisis. EPPIC will engage with a wide range of experts including national and subnational governments, private sector, civil society, indigenous communities, academia, and others.
Request for Proposal: Designer and Implementer of the EPPIC Innovation Prize
To inspire more solutions to this global crisis, EPPIC, via the Aspen Institute, is excited to announce a request for proposals for an innovation prize! The forthcoming prize will highlight upstream design and production. This competition will drive advancements in science and technology and be an opportunity to disrupt current systems.
We are excited to announce that we are now accepting proposals for an organization to help design and implement the Prize alongise Aspen and its EPPIC Partners.
Read here to learn more about the initial prize launch in March 2024.Timeline
Past
September 17, 2023 - On the margins of the 78th UN General Assembly, Jose W. Fernandez, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, launched the End Plastic Pollution International Collaborative (EPPIC) with $15 million in initial State Department funding.
March 12, 2023 - during Aspen Ideas: Climate in Miami Beach, EPPIC announced the launch of a prize competition to promote global efforts to advance plastic circularity with an emphasis on innovations in design and production.
April 22, 2023 - EPPIC hosted Beyond the Plastics Treaty: Putting Policy into Practice; a dialogue on the margins of the INC-4 negotiations for the UN Plastics Treaty in Ottawa, Canada. The dialogue fostered collaboration and knowledge sharing among multi-sector stakeholders across the full lifecycle of plastics. Speakers included members of the Host Consortium, the U.S. Department of State, and 2 U.S. Senators.
Upcoming
November 25, 2024 - INC-5 negotiations for the UN Plastics Treaty South Korea.
2026 or 2027 - EPPIC Ideas: Plastics. Our culminating forum will share knowledge and solutions for plastics circularity, and further amplify the successes and learnings of EPPIC.
Learn More About EPPIC
More information about EPPIC, including how to join the Collaborative or apply to the EPPIC Grants Program, can be found on EPPIC's main webpage hosted by IUCN.
You can learn more about the Energy & Environment Program's role in EPPIC in this article from our program team, Catie Tobin and Melody Salerno.
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