Lift Collaborative
Lift Collaborative catalyzes ambitious projects that address plastic pollution in emerging economies, rapidly creating a pipeline of investment-ready projects to effectively tackle plastic pollution.
© Shutterstock / Mohamed Abdulraheew / WWF
The plastic pollution crisis is growing
Without ambitious action, plastic pollution will more than double by 2040 to 280 million metric tons per year1—the equivalent of a dump truck every second entering the environment. We need interventions that urgently establish and scale new approaches to this issue. Solving the plastic pollution crisis is challenging and expensive, even more so for the places that are most impacted.
Despite years of global dialogue, investment flows remain misaligned with need: emerging economies received only 6% of private capital aimed at addressing plastic pollution between 2018 and 2023.2
Bridging this gap will require pragmatic, action-oriented coalitions. Decision-makers from the public and private sectors must be willing to align capital, policy, and implementation to deliver results at scale and accelerate solutions centered on local people and economies.
© naturepl.com / Jordi Chias / WWF
© WWF-Viet Nam / Cham Team
A new approach to tackling plastic pollution
Lift Collaborative was established to meet this moment. Lift Collaborative bridges the gap between development funding and private investment by leveraging environmental conservation and advocacy,3 rigorous socio-economic research,4 and large-scale private investment.5 Through public-private collaboration and deep engagement with local systems, Lift will catalyze scalable circular economy models that reduce plastic pollution and drive inclusive economic opportunities.
Lift Collaborative, convened by WWF, the Circulate Initiative, and Circulate Capital, and supported by Builders Vision Philanthropy, aims to create systems-level coordination between international development funding and private sector investment to identify, fund, and scale plastic-reduction solutions where they are most needed. Lift Collaborative will support projects with financial, environmental, and social return on investment that will move the needle on plastic pollution.
Lift Collaborative catalyzes resources for and accelerates the implementation of ambitious plastic pollution prevention projects in emerging economies across the globe. Prioritizing viability, scalability, and alignment with policy priorities, Lift will rapidly create a pipeline of investment-ready projects to support the transition to a circular system with positive environmental impact that supports healthy communities.
Sources
1 Pew
2 The Circulate Initiative
3 WWF
4 The Circulate Initiative
5 Circulate Capital