Plastic Bank

Plastic Bank is a for-profit organization founded in Vancouver, Canada in May 2013 by David Katz and Shaun Frankson. It was stated with the aim of reducing the amount of plastic waste in the environment while also helping to alleviate poverty in developing countries. In 2015 it opened up its first store in Haiti and another one in Philippines and Brazil in 2016. Plastic Bank sells the raw plastic waste it collects to companies. Those companies in turn use it to manufacture new products.

The founders devised a system to offer people cash, digital currency, healthcare coverage and other rewards for plastic waste, which it then sells to firms to use in manufacturing. Working with local collectors, it now helps them to recover nearly 12,000kg of plastics every month and sell the waste to its partners. Individuals bring collected plastic waste to Plastic Bank recycling collection centers.

Welches Land produziert am meisten Plastikmüll?

Die fünf grüßten Müllproduzenten weltweit sind
die USA, China, Brasilien, Japan und auch Deutschland.

Plastic Bank reveals the true value of the material, making it too valuable to throw away. This empowers recycling ecosystems around the world, driving responsible economic development in underprivileged communities and reducing the flow of plastic into our oceans. Plastic collected at Plastic Bank branches is recycled and sold as Social Plastic to organizations who want to create a more sustainable, eco-friendly,
and socially responsible supply chain for their products. The value of Social
Plastic goes beyond the commodity price of plastic: a ladder of opportunity is created for the world’s impoverished and our oceans are protected from pollution.

Using its innovative digital platform and its experience in Haiti, Indonesia, and the Philippines, Plastic Bank is creating a digital ecosystem that will allow for a worldwide, open-source Social Plastic revolution. In the meantime, Plastic Bank continues to expand its recycling infrastructure in these regions and develop new markets, such as Mexico and Brazil.

Autor

Jeniffer Kirimi

Austauschstudentin aus Kenia