Metro Manila, Philippines – Senior leaders from government, industry, civil society, academe, and development partners convened, as members of the Steering Board of the National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) Philippines, setting the pace for the country’s multi-sector effort to address plastic pollution and support the country’s shift to a circular economy.

The Steering Board, which provides strategic guidance to the national partnership, met at a pivotal moment for NPAP Philippines, as it continues to advance coordinated action by the multi-stakeholder platform. Members reviewed progress in convening and enabling a broad group of stakeholders to map out the strengths, challenges, and opportunities across the plastics value chain and to co-create solutions for a more circular future. Updates included the development of the National Plastic Action Roadmap — now undergoing refinement based on stakeholder insights from a recent public consultation — the conduct of the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Assessment, and the convening of technical working groups focused on flexible plastic recycling and upstream interventions.

Members also highlighted the importance of strengthening alignment between national policy and local implementation, recognizing the critical role of local government units in collection, waste worker integration, and community-driven innovation. The discussion underscored the value of NPAP as a multi-sectoral platform supporting policy coherence, gathering of evidence, and advancing inclusive solutions.

As significant plastic leakage continues to pose challenges in the Philippines, the NPAP platform plays a key role in aligning national action with existing policies such as the Extended Producer Responsibility Act and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, and supporting the country’s engagement in global negotiations toward a legally binding agreement on plastic pollution. Partners reflected on the links between national efforts and the Philippines’ upcoming ASEAN Chairmanship in 2026, noting opportunities to elevate circular economy cooperation regionally.

“Our work here has implications beyond our sector as well as beyond our borders. The Philippines is actively participating in ASEAN regional dialogues and in the global negotiations towards an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. Through the NPAP, we can demonstrate our coordinated, multi-sectoral approach, and translate global commitments into national action and meaningful local impact. The challenges before us are many, but there is also an opportunity to shape our systems and secure a safer, healthier, more resilient Philippines,” said the Chair of the NPAP Philippines Steering Board, Secretary Raphael Lotilla of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Edwine Carrie, UNDP Philippines Deputy Resident Representative, underscored the importance of ensuring a just transition, noting that “Eliminating or reducing plastic pollution is an environmental imperative. It’s also a strong economic incentive, which comes with very strong collateral health benefits. From the standpoint of UNDP, we see the role of NPAP as important in the issue of just transition: the recognition that plastics still plays a prominent role in the livelihoods of many vulnerable sectors in the Philippines, and that phasing out plastics will bring short-term pain for these communities. It is therefore important for NPAP to make sure that the focus remains on helping those communities at the local level, making this transition for a better future in the country.”

Steering Board members also reflected on the Roadmap’s system change scenario, which shows that a combination of upstream reduction, reuse, and substitution — paired with improvements in collection, recycling, and disposal — could reduce aquatic plastic pollution by up to 93 percent by 2040. The members agreed that this underscores the need for coordinated systems change and investments that align environmental, economic, and social outcomes.

Closing the meeting, Coca-Cola Philippines President Antonio del Rosario called on partners to strengthen collective ownership of national priorities. “We must rally around the National Plastic Action Roadmap. Its success depends on collective ownership, alignment, and commitment from all sectors to move as one, not in silos. As representatives of the private sector, we do have the unique opportunity; we can innovate upstream, we can continue to work downstream, invest in collection and in recycling, and create markets for secondary materials. The future we want is one where sustainability and equity go hand in hand.”

Development partners including the United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union, and the World Bank reaffirmed their support for the country’s circular economy transition, noting opportunities for technical assistance, financing, and data-driven planning. Insights shared during the meeting highlighted how coordinated investments ranging from local collection systems to recycling infrastructure can support the shift towards circularity.

Leadership of the NPAP Philippines Steering Board also formally welcomed its new members which include the United Kingdom, Canada, Nestlé Philippines, further expanding the platform’s depth of technical expertise and international collaboration.

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NPAP Philippines is a locally driven, multi-stakeholder platform uniting leaders from government, business, development organizations, academe, civil society and vulnerable groups to tackle plastic pollution and accelerate the country’s transition to a circular economy. Led by the DENR, it is supported by the World Economic Forum’s Global Plastic Action Partnership and partners like the UK Government, the Government of Canada, and the Coca-Cola Foundation. UNDP serves as NPAP’s technical secretariat in the Philippines.