In 2019, Greiner Packaging launched its partnership with Plastic Bank by supporting the commissioning of five collection centres in Manila, Philippines. The partnership has now been extended for the third time at the end of 2023. A total of over 610 tonnes of plastic have already been collected as part of the collaboration.
Greiner Packaging has extended its long-standing partnership with Plastic Bank for the third time. The social enterprise Plastic Bank aims to empower the world to stop plastic waste by building ethical recycling ecosystems in coastal communities and prepare the collected materials for reintroduction into the global manufacturing supply chain. The Plastic Bank collectors receive a bonus for the plastic they collect, which enables them to earn a higher income. The recycled material is known as social plastic, as it offers both environmental and social benefits. „We all agree: someone has to do something about plastic in the ocean. Plastic Bank and its partners, like Greiner Packaging, are part of the solution,“ says David Katz, who founded Plastic Bank in 2013.
„We are extremely happy to extend our collaboration with Plastic Bank for the third time. This ongoing partnership reflects our strong commitment to a sustainable future.“
Beatrix Praeceptor, CEO of Greiner Packaging
Taking responsibility is an entrepreneurial must
Sustainability has always been of great importance to Greiner Packaging, a manufacturer of sturdy plastic packaging and cardboard-plastic combinations. Under the motto „Join the Circular Revolution!“, the company is calling on its partners along the value chain to commit all their innovative strength to sustainable product solutions. Because only together can the goal of a sustainable circular economy be achieved. Five plastic collection centres were opened in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, back in 2019. The Philippines is the third largest producer of plastic waste in the world after China and Indonesia. In the Philippines alone, an estimated 2,000,000 tonnes of plastic end up in the sea every year. The need for action on the ground is therefore enormous.
„We know that we cannot solve the entire plastic waste problem in the Philippines. However, our cooperation has a significant impact on the lives of local people,“ explains Beatrix Praeceptor, CEO of Greiner Packaging. Collectors and collectors exchange plastic waste as currency at local Plastic Bank branches for additional income and access to life-enhancing services such as labour and health insurance, food vouchers, school supplies and the like. By offering secure, traceable sources of income and social benefits, collector communities are given a way out of poverty.
In recent years, over 610 tonnes of plastic waste have already been removed from the environment in the coastal areas most affected by plastic waste pollution. This weight corresponds to the equivalent of over 30 million plastic bottles. Currently, over 1,660 people in 137 communities in the Philippines are benefiting from this partnership. Plastic Bank is currently active in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil and Egypt.
Source: Greiner Packaging
