In May 2024, a coalition of environmental organizations, including HEJSupport (International), AWHHE (Armenia), RUZGAR (Azerbaijan), Ecovision (Georgia), CSD (Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan), and CSA (Ukraine), launched a joint project entitled “Outreach and awareness-raising on prevention, minimization, and recycling options for plastic waste in countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia with the goal to reduce plastic pollution and minimize its impact on the environment and human health”.
Plastic pollution is a global crisis that impacts people’s health and the environment. Our project aims to tackle this issue in the five countries of the EECCA region. We focus on reducing plastic production, eliminating hazardous chemicals in plastics, and advocating for robust regulations at national, regional, and international levels.
Our efforts include:
- Advocating for the right to know about toxic chemicals in plastic materials and products
- Supporting robust legislation to reduce plastic production and plastic pollution
- Promoting a ban on single-use plastic and plastic containing toxic chemicals
- Highlighting the link between plastic exposure and health
- Promoting plastic- and toxic-free products.
- Supporting toxic-free recycling of plastic waste
On March 31, 2025, HEJSupport held a webinar to present the project website, various informational materials prepared by partner organizations, and data collected during the project.
HEJSupport also presented the online course “Toxic Plastic Pollution: Health, Environment, Legislation”. The course is offered in Russian and English. It examines plastic pollution primarily as a chemical issue, exploring the complex realm of plastic chemicals by drawing on information from key reports, including those from the Plastic Pollution Coalition, the International Pollutants Elimination Network, the Break Free From Plastic movement, UNEP, and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. It discusses health and environmental problems caused by chemicals in plastic, including issues linked to recycling plastic that contains toxic substances. The course also highlights progressive plastic legislation, such as the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act in the United States and the EU Plastic Strategy, which aim to reduce plastic pollution and encourage sustainable practices. Additionally, it covers the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and the ongoing negotiations for a global treaty on plastic. By understanding the criteria for problematic plastic products and the importance of transparency and information tracking regarding chemical content in plastics, participants will gain a comprehensive grasp of the challenges and solutions for managing chemicals in plastic.
