The Philippines is a major consumer of single-use plastics. The country generates approximately 1.7 million metric tons of post-consumer plastic waste every year.
The World Bank Group, with support from PROBLUE and the World Bank Group Korea Green Growth Trust Fund (KGGTF),—pursued a phased, evidence-driven engagement to align data, policy, and finance over time, which translated into significant policy and financing outcomes.
Two Sustainable Recovery Development Policy Loans—each totaling $750 million—were approved by the World Bank’s Board in 2023 and 2024 to support the Philippines' waste management reforms.
The World Bank also provided technical assistance to support the Philippines' landmark Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022, sharing lessons from South Korea's mature EPR system through study tours and reports. This global knowledge exchange gave Philippine stakeholders the practical skills, institutional know-how, and confidence to design an EPR framework suited to their own context.