At Macro Plastics, we manufacture high quality, durable products that perform for many years.  Macro Plastics is committed to reducing our impact on the environment. We strive to recover our products when they reach the end of their life through our buy-back program and turn them into new products that our customers can enjoy for years to come, rather than end up as waste.

In 2018 we joined 1% for the Planet, pledging at least 1% of the sales from our Hybrid line of products to environmental nonprofits. We chose three nonprofits that were dealing with causes we cared about and were excited to support.

One of the nonprofits that we are thrilled to be a part of is the Social Plastic Foundation.

What do they do?

The Social Plastic Foundation is a charity established to support, enhance & grow the world’s Social Plastic recycling ecosystems. These are recycling communities in developing regions that utilize The Plastic Bank’s recycling reward & incentive platform to improve livelihoods while preventing ocean plastic. The organization has created stores in which impoverished people can exchange plastic waste for goods.

Why do they do it?

Every year, 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in the world’s oceans. This is the equivalent of five grocery bags filled with plastic for every foot of coastline in the world. The demand for plastic is expected to quadruple in production by 2050.

How do they do it?

Plastic Bank founders, David Katz and Shaun Frankson, devised a system to pay people for collecting plastic waste. Individuals bring collected plastic waste to Plastic Bank recycling collection centers, where the plastic waste is exchanged for goods or Blockchain secured digital tokens. Plastic Bank’s app is free to download and the blockchain system offers a way for locals to get paid outside of traditional currency.

The recycling centers verify the recycled plastic as verified “Social Plastic,” designating it as ethically sourced. The Social Plastic is then sold to companies who will manufacture new products.

To do this, Plastic Bank provides a consistent, above-market rate for plastic waste, thus incentivizing its collection. Individuals who gather our plastic can trade it for money, items or services.

Plastic Bank also provides the ability for local entrepreneurs to set up and operate a convenience store for the poor, in which plastic waste is the currency. Plastic collected through Plastic Bank is recycled and sold at a premium as Social Plastic®.

 

Plastic Bank launched its first store in Haiti in 2015. The social enterprise launched a store in the Philippines in 2016, followed by a store in Brazil.

To learn more about the Social Plastic Foundation, visit their website: https://plasticbankfoundation.org/