The Plastic Collective, Establishing Community Operated Plastic Recycling Micro-Enterprises
Today, businesses in the UK face immense pressure from consumers to tackle their use of plastic packaging and prevent plastic waste from polluting the environment and oceans, thereby contributing to climate change.
The implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation is increasingly compelling businesses and their supply chains to assume lifelong responsibility for the plastic pollution they generate. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the media are also taking a more prominent role in highlighting businesses that fail to address sustainability, the circular economy, and their environmental impact.
Plastic-Neutral Businesses
Plastic Collective has been instrumental in assisting businesses over the past decade in finding better ways to use plastic and obtaining certification as plastic-neutral enterprises. We have spearheaded the concept of plastic credits, also known as plastic offsets, which enable businesses to make an immediate difference by compensating for their plastic footprint and achieving plastic neutrality.
Plastic credits operate on a similar principle to carbon credits and carbon offsets, which brands have been utilizing for the past two decades to achieve carbon neutrality.
Plastic Collective has pioneered and developed an innovative plastic offset program, akin to the highly successful carbon offset initiatives, allowing businesses of all sizes to become Plastic Neutral.
Our program for businesses commences with an evaluation of your company’s plastic consumption in order to establish the extent of your plastic footprint.
Subsequently, we propose bespoke strategies for plastic reduction, enabling you to align your plastic consumption with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Finally, we develop a plastic offset program whereby the equivalent weight of your plastic footprint in kilograms is offset through a partnership with Plastic Collective’s projects. These projects are located in various countries worldwide, including Indonesia, Africa, Malaysia, Australia, and the Philippines, and focus on collecting and recycling plastic waste and bottles from the environment, including those destined for the ocean.
By adhering to the principles of the New Plastic Economy, our program provides crucial strategies for managing plastic waste, allowing companies to eliminate harmful plastics, substitute unsustainable alternatives, and facilitate effective recycling. This enables us to create a comprehensive plan for zero plastic-to-landfill, with any remaining plastic footprint offset in a manner similar to carbon credits.
Plastic-Neutral Individuals
A staggering 396 million metric tonnes of plastic were consumed globally in just one year. This translates to an average of 53 kilograms for every person on our planet. You now have the opportunity to offset an equivalent amount to your 53 kg plastic footprint by making a Pledge to become Plastic Neutral, Plastic Positive, or even Plastic Awesome!
Your Pledge will contribute towards the establishment of micro-enterprises for plastic recycling in remote and vulnerable communities grappling with the plastic waste crisis. Once established, these programs will commit to removing 53 kg of plastic on your behalf (as well as many others), offsetting your plastic footprint and making you Plastic Neutral.
If Plastic Neutral is not enough, you have the option to upgrade your Pledge to become Plastic Positive or even Plastic Awesome, thereby surpassing your personal share of the global plastic footprint!
Upon making your Pledge, you will gain access to My Plastic Plan, where you can learn how to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic, becoming a responsible Plastic Citizen. Additionally, we will send you a certificate recognizing your commitment as Plastic Neutral, Plastic Positive, or Plastic Awesome.
Founder Louise Hardman
Louise Hardman is the creator of Plastic Collective, a social enterprise committed to preventing plastics from infiltrating the oceans. Louise is a scientist, educator, and innovator who has gained expertise in engaging local communities, understanding the chemistry of plastics, and embracing the circular economy.
Plastic Collective is revolutionizing the public perception of plastic. Louise recognized that small, secluded communities suffer greatly from plastic waste, which is frequently incinerated, buried, or dumped. To tackle this issue, Louise devised a portable recycling device called the Shruder™ that can shred and extrude plastic on-site. By combining the Shruder with the invaluable knowledge from Louise’s distinctive Working with Plastics Program, communities have been able to transform plastic into valuable resources. This has created a sustainable marketplace where processed plastic shreds generate revenue, and extruded products cater to local needs.
Through partnerships with Coca-Cola South Pacific, Coca-Cola Far East, and TK Maxx UK, Plastic Collective has successfully implemented programs in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia. Apart from earning income from processed plastic products, these communities have also benefited from eco-tourism, which has opened up additional economic opportunities.
With a global vision and ambitious plans, Louise and her dedicated team are currently enhancing the Shruder Recycling Station program by integrating advanced blockchain technology for ethical supply and support. This will directly connect markets and corporate partners with remote communities involved in manufacturing, selling, and purchasing plastic products.
In 2017, Plastic Collective introduced Plastic Neutral Offset Credits as a pioneering global initiative. It engages some of the world’s largest corporations in a program that financially supports disadvantaged remote communities by enabling them to collect waste plastic on behalf of these companies. The communities then recycle the plastics, resulting in local economic benefits.
In January 2018, Louise was invited to attend the 3rd meeting on Plastic Pollution and The Circular Economy organized by the International Sustainability Unit of the Prince of Wales’ initiative in London. Following this, Dr. Helena Studdert, the Australian Consulate-General of Bali, invited Louise to deliver three keynote presentations at the Waste to Wealth conference in Bali.
Upon returning to Australia, Louise and her team were requested by His Excellency Hon David Hurley, the Governor of New South Wales, and Mrs. Hurley to provide a private demonstration in Coffs Harbour. In March 2019, Plastic Collective became a signatory to the Global Commitment for the New Plastic Economy, as established by the Ellen Macarthur Foundation.
Louise continues to passionately convey her message both locally and internationally, emphasizing the opportunities, empowerment, innovation, and hope associated with her cause. With over 8 million tonnes of plastic waste entering the world’s oceans annually, Louise’s vision for halting plastic pollution resonates with everyone she encounters.