End Plastic Soup and the Intercountry Committees

Connecting Local Action to Global Impact a strategic opportunity for the Rotary Intercountry Committees

By Nada Ghanem – Lead of Strategic Partnerships Working Group 2026 -2028

Plastic pollution is one of the clearest examples of a challenge that is simultaneously local, international and global.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), an estimated 19–23 million tones of plastic waste enter aquatic ecosystems every year, contaminating rivers, lakes and seas. Without meaningful action, this leakage could almost triple by 2040.

(UNEP-UN Environment Programme)

The scale of the challenge is therefore considerable. Yet it also creates an opportunity: an opportunity to connect communities, organizations, scientific knowledge and Rotary clubs across borders around a common and highly visible cause.

This is where the Rotary Intercountry Committees (ICCs) can bring particular added value.

Not by replacing existing Rotary structures or environmental organizations, but by doing what ICCs are specifically designed to do:

Connecting people, clubs and countries so that local initiatives can gain an international dimension. A scientific challenge – and a common framework for action

Plastic pollution is much more than the waste that we can see. The OECD estimated that 22 million tons of plastics leaked into the environment in 2019 alone. Of this, 6.1 million tones reached rivers, lakes and oceans. The OECD also estimates that 109 million tons of plastics have accumulated in rivers and around 30 million tons in the ocean.

The sources are diverse. Poorly managed waste is the largest source of microplastic leakage, while microplastics also come from tyreand brake wear, synthetic textiles and other less visible sources.

This scientific evidence points to an important conclusion: clean-up operations are valuable, but they are only one part of the solution. Prevention, education, behavioral change, improved waste management, innovation and the sharing of knowledge are equally important.

And this is precisely where an international network can make a difference. Scientific knowledge can be shared.Successful local solutions can be documented. Experiences can be compared.

Projects can be adapted to different cultural and geographical contexts. The objective is therefore not to impose one global model, but to create a global network of local solutions.

The international dimension –the natural role of ICCs

A piece of plastic discarded in a street can enter a drainage system, reach a river and eventually the sea. Rivers are a major pathway through which plastic reaches the ocean, and the process can continue over years or even decades. (OECD)

Yet the solutions often begin locally.

This apparent contradiction is precisely where ICCs can play an important role.

ICCs already provide a framework for cooperation between Rotary clubs in different countries. They create relationships, encourage mutual understanding and make it possible for clubs to work together beyond national boundaries.

The partnership between the ICC Executive Council and End Plastic Soup, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding signed in February 2024, provides a particularly strong basis for this approach. The agreement was designed to mobilize the ICC network, encourage worldwide cooperation, raise awareness among young people and adults, and facilitate joint projects that may potentially be supported through District and Global Grants.

The opportunity now is to make this international network increasingly visible through practical projects.

Imagine an ICC connecting clubs in several countries around a common river basin, coastline, school programme, community campaign or plastic-reduction initiative.

The implementation remains local.

But the experience, partnerships, visibility and learning become international.

This is the multiplier effect that ICCs can provide.
One club acts.
Two clubs cooperate.
An ICC connects them.

Several countries learn from one another. The experience becomes replicable.

From environmental action to Rotary growth

There is another dimension that deserves particular attention: the potential impact on the Rotary ecosystem itself.

End Plastic Soup can be much more than an environmental project.

It can become a point of connection between Rotary and people who are not yet part of our traditional Rotary environment.

Young people concerned about climate and environmental issues, scientists, teachers, universities, entrepreneurs, municipalities, environmental associations and responsible businesses can all become partners.

A club working with a university may reach new communities.
A Club working with schools may engage a new generation.
A club working with a municipality may increase its local visibility.

An ICC connecting such initiatives internationally can give them an additional dimension and a much broader narrative. This is important for Rotary’s future.

Rotary growth is also about increasing relevance, visibility, partnerships and opportunities for people to discover Rotary through meaningful action.

Plastic pollution is an exceptionally visible example of a broader principle:

more clubs connected, more international partnerships created, more young people involved, more communities reached, more ideas shared – and more people discovering the value of Rotary.

That may ultimately be the most strategic opportunity offered by End Plastic Soup.

End Plastic Soup can help ICCs connect local action to global impact – and, in doing so, help connect Rotary to the next generation of members, partners and communities.

One club can act.
An ICC can connect.
A network of ICCs can multiply the impact.

And Rotary grows when its connections create meaningful action.

Two important dates ahead

12 September 2026 – Portugal and Europe:
a major End Plastic Soup and Rotary action day, providing an excellent opportunity to connect local initiatives across countries and demonstrate the power of international cooperation.

2 to 9 November 2026 – Monaco: another important opportunity to bring together Rotary, ICC and End Plastic Soup partners and further strengthen our international network.