Andrew Almack took part in the IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training program in Vancouver in 2013. Andrew has since gone on to spearhead the program Plastics For Change.

***

When I was attending the impact champion’s conference, I had no idea that the project I was working on would become part of a global movement.

The Social Plastic movement is a movement demanding companies to use recycled plastic that reduces both plastic pollution and poverty.

Did you know in high poverty countries it is common for plastic waste to get dumped into the streets & pushed into ocean bound waterways?

Did you know that each year over 7 million pounds of plastic debris enters the ocean where it will cause environmental harm for over 500 years?

Imagine if plastic was accepted as currency that could be exchanged for the items needed to lift someone out of poverty and transition into a self-sustaining life of entrepreneurship.

You don’t have to imagine, because this is exactly what The Plastic Bank is doing.

The Plastic Bank is setting up re-purposing centers for plastic waste in countries that have an abundance of plastic pollution and poverty. We are empowering people around the world to collect waste plastic as a currency which they can exchange for the necessities needed to transition out of poverty.

The Natural Step Canada’s IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training program brought together youth from across B.C to discuss innovative and sustainability. The two day workshop was a fantastic experience full of interesting dialogue with likeminded peers, mentorship from experienced change makers, and brainstorming sessions on the topic of sustainability.  

I was able to gain tremendous feedback on my vision for utilizing plastic pollution to generate social impact.

I took the inspiration and insights from the conference and spearheaded a program called Plastics For Change. The Plastics For Change program recycles plastic debris collected from the environment into eco-certified product lines. Companies may use the recycled plastic debris in their product line if they agree to sponsor the development of re-purposing centers for plastic waste in developing countries through The Plastic Bank.

Over a dozen NGO’s and community groups donated more than 20,000 lbs of shoreline plastics into the Plastics For Change program to support the cause.

Just as the certified organic symbol created a demand for ethically sourced produce, we believe that the Social Plastics eco-label can create a demand for plastic that helps to to reduce pollution levels and poverty.

Our goal is to support the movement towards worldwide demand for the use of Social Plastic in everyday products. The higher the worldwide demand becomes, the higher the reward will be for collecting Social Plastic.

Join the Social Plastic movement to start changing the world through your purchasing power. Visit www.plasticbank.org today!

Written by Andrew Almack

Please visit IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training program to learn more about the IMPACT! program.