EJCAP facilitates a collaborative space for environmental justice (EJ) community groups to tackle the life cycle of plastics pollution and its impacts to human and environmental health.
Who We Are.
Established in 2021, the Environmental Justice Communities Against Plastics coalition (EJCAP) tackles the life cycle of plastic pollution, prioritizing frontline communities’ needs. We support developing local, environmentally responsible, zero-waste alternatives led by communities and workers.
The plastics life cycle is toxic and causes health harms at every stage, from the extraction of raw materials, production, transportation, consumption, to its ultimate disposal. These health impacts include cancers, developmental and reproductive harms, impacts to respiratory and cardiovascular systems, and more.
Environmental justice (EJ) communities live and work at the frontlines of these extractive and health-harming industries, and experience the highest levels of exposures to toxins at each stage of the plastics life cycle. Oil, gas, and petrochemical industries that manufacture plastics are disproportionately located in people of color and low-income communities. Most disposable plastics also end up in landfills and incinerators that are disproportionately sited in communities of color and low-income communities. The cumulative health impacts that result from these exposures are intensified due to inadequate health access and infrastructure. Meanwhile, industry-backed solutions do not address waste prevention, nor do they reduce plastic demand upstream, and often cause more harm.
EJCAP works to ensure that environmental justice communities are leading just transition strategies and pathways to resolve the plastic pollution crisis.
Our Priorities.
Click icons to read each priority story
Prioritize Frontline Communities
Invest in Better Solutions
Increase Access to Alternatives
Hold Industry Accountable
Why it Matters
Steering Committee
Black Women for Wellness
is a reproductive justice, human rights organization committed to the health and well-being of Black women and girls through health education, empowerment and advocacy. Since its founding in 1997, BWW has always believed in the strength and wisdom of our community and allies. BWW’s Environmental Justice team works with and for the community we serve in South LA, in collaboration with non-profit and academic institutions, and alongside our fellow BWW programmatic teams to address environmental racism. bwwla.org
Just Transition Alliance
serves people of color, Indigenous peoples and low-income communities harmed by polluting industries, as well as workers in those industries. We support community organizing with a focus on education and action, led by those on the frontlines of production and at the fenceline of exposure, towards system changes that do not compromise people or our environment. Our goal is to help workers and communities achieve a just transition from dirty production processes towards health-based local economies to scale, protecting the most vulnerable populations and workers first. jtalliance.org
Pacoima Beautiful
is a grassroots environmental justice organization that provides education, impacts local policy, and supports local arts and culture in order to promote a healthy and sustainable San Fernando Valley. Through collective action, we strive to create a safer and cleaner community where children, their family and neighbors can thrive. We believe that Pacoima and the Northeast San Fernando Valley residents are powerful and transformational environmental justice leaders who are stewards of our environment, health, and communities. pacoimabeautiful.org
East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice
is a community-based organization that works to facilitate self-advocates in East Los Angeles, Southeast Los Angeles and Long Beach. EYCEJ is working towards a safe and healthy environment for communities that are disproportionately suffering the negative impacts of industrial pollution. By providing workshops and trainings, EYCEJ prepares community members to engage in the decision-making processes that directly impact their health and quality of life. eycej.org
Physicians for Social Responsibility
places health and equity at the center of public policy. For over 40 years, we have elevated the trusted voices of health care professionals to support transformative, community-led movements for environmental justice and nuclear disarmament. Our programs equip doctors, nurses, public health workers, allied health care professionals and students with the tools they need to successfully advocate for policies that foster healthier, stronger communities across Los Angeles, Southern California, and beyond. psr-la.org
Valley Improvement Projects
is a grassroots organization committed to enhancing the lives of underrepresented Northern San Joaquin Valley residents through advocacy for social and environmental justice. Focused on various fronts, VIP aims to reduce air pollutants, curb pesticide use near schools and rural communities, improve access to clean drinking water, and promote climate justice via sustainable practices. Our initiatives extend to zero waste efforts, police accountability, tenant rights, outreach to marginalized communities, youth education, and engagement with representatives and coalitions, aligning with multiple environmental and social justice groups to drive impactful change. valleyimprovementprojects.org