Across our partnership, young people want to cut plastic waste in their daily lives and youth spaces, yet they lack simple, inclusive ways to do it consistently. The scale of the issue is unambiguous. In the European Union, plastic packaging waste per person rose by 26.7 percent between 2011 and 2021, while recycling gains did not keep pace, showing that end-of-pipe fixes alone cannot close the gap. Packaging waste volumes continued to grow through 2022, with plastic recording the highest relative increase among major materials. Policy signals are strong but do not automatically translate into everyday practice in youth work. The Single-Use Plastics framework sets separate collection targets for plastic bottles of 77 percent by 2025, rising to 90 percent by 2029, and requires recycled content in beverage bottles (25 percent PET by 2025 and 30 percent for all plastic bottles by 2030). In parallel, the European Union has enacted a restriction on intentionally added microplastics, with key provisions applying from 17 October 2023, covering items such as loose plastic glitter and certain microbeads to reduce releases at the source. Young people encounter microplastic pathways daily through textiles, tyres and other products, yet accessible, locally relevant guidance on “what to do here” is often missing. The global picture underlines why upstream prevention and reuse matter at community level. Every year an estimated 19–23 million tonnes of plastic leak into aquatic ecosystems - roughly the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks of plastic entering rivers, lakes and seas every day. This is happening while youth concern remains high across Europe, but pathways to act remain fragmented or overly focused on recycling alone rather than reduction, reuse, repair and clear, relatable communication. UNEP - UN Environment Programme At the same time, young people are demonstrating increasing ecological awareness. The Eurobarometer on Youth and Democracy (2022) posted that 78% of young Europeans consider protecting the environment and fighting climate change a top priority. However, there remains a disconnect between young people’s motivation and the support systems available to help them take action, especially through structured learning in youth work. Despite this interest, many youth workers across Europe report a lack of training, tools, and resources to confidently include environmental education into their work. According to the Council of Europe’s initiative on “Deepening Quality and Sustainability of Youth Activities”, there is a clear need to strengthen the competences of youth workers and trainers in delivering high-quality non-formal education, particularly in the context of environmental sustainability. This highlights a widespread gap in the sector, where many youth workers lack the necessary tools, resources, and training to confidently lead sustainability-focused educational activities. Moreover, sustainability is not only an environmental issue - it is a social and civic one. Young people with fewer opportunities, including those from low-income families, migrants, or marginalized communities, are both more vulnerable to the consequences of environmental degradation and less likely to be involved in environmental decision-making. Therefore, it is crucial that sustainability education be inclusive, participatory, and empowering, reflecting the diversity of young people’s lived experiences. This project is a direct response to these challenges. It aims to strengthen the capacity of youth workers across Europe to deliver inclusive, and practical non-formal education on sustainability. It also promotes a deeper understanding of how environmental responsibility connects with civic engagement, youth participation, and social equity. The specific objectives of the project are to: - Build the environmental competences of youth workers through non-formal education methods, enabling them to confidently facilitate workshops and local actions on responsible consumption, waste reduction and constructive eco-engagement. - Promote inclusive sustainability education, ensuring that young people with fewer opportunities are actively included in environmental learning and empowered to act in their communities. - Foster critical and systems thinking among youth workers, helping them and their target groups understand the links between ecological, social, and economic issues - Strengthen cross-border cooperation between European youth organisations committed to sustainability, facilitating the exchange of good practices, resources, and adaptable learning models that can be multiplied across contexts. - Raise awareness of youth work’s contribution to the European Green Deal and the UN SDGs, particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and, where relevant, SDG 13 (Climate Action).