The recycling rates of plastic waste in most developing countries are low. The Plastics For Change initiative aims to remedy this situation by utilising the well-known Fairtrade model.
As with coffee or cocoa, there will soon be a corresponding label for products made from fairly produced recycled plastic. To this end, the initiative has First Fairtrade-certified supply chain for recycled plastic developed. Now Mirova, an asset management company specialising in sustainable investments, invested two million US dollars with which Plastics For Change to accelerate the circular economy with plastics and promote social change in developing countries.
The initiative, founded by Canadian Andrew Almack, helps rubbish collectors in India out of poverty by fair prices for the collected plastic offers.
„Our Fairtrade supply chains now offer our industry partners the opportunity to achieve their recycling targets and send a message that resonates with consumers,“ says Andrew Almack, CEO of Plastics For Change.
The Mirova investment is intended to expand the business model in India and South Asia, and to expand it globally. brand manufacturers high-quality, recycled plastic material from transparent and responsible supply chains are made available.
„By law, no recycled material may be used in the production of beverage bottles in India. The PET material we collect is therefore very pure, especially as it is carefully sorted by hand,“ explains Karsten Bleymehl, who, with his company The Circular Materials GmbH from Cologne is the official sales partner of Plastics For Change in Europe.
The Body Shop uses recycled Fairtrade plastic
As one of the first companies The Body Shop has entered into a partnership with Plastics For Change and wants to create more hygienic working conditions for the waste pickers in Bengaluru, India, and guarantee fair prices for the collected plastic. The plastic waste is separated, cleaned, pressed into bales and transported to Europe, where it is processed into pellets and used to manufacture new products. By launching the project in the first month, The Body Shop has already realised 40 per cent more attention on social media material expert Karsten Bleymehl reports.
The fairly traded recycled plastic is used in the cosmetics company's 250 ml hair care bottles - recycled plastic from India was already used in the production of almost three million bottles last year. These are made from 100 per cent PET recyclate - 15 per cent of it is recycled Fairtrade plastic , The rest comes from European sources. In future, only Fairtrade plastic from Plastics For Change will be used to produce the PET bottles.
Source: Plastics For Change
