Stop plastic before it reaches the ocean: this is the mission of Plastic Bank. The organization is committed to fighting marine plastic pollution and has launched an innovative initiative to support this goal. In collaboration with the Plastic Bank Foundation, we at LILLYDOO, with our LILLYDOO green line, are already contributing to reducing plastic in the oceans worldwide. We believe it is important to be transparent and explain how we have achieved this goal. For this article, we invited Plastic Bank to share its story and answer key questions such as: What are Plastic Bank's objectives? How does the organization operate? And how can consumers understand the collaboration with LILLYDOO?

The mission of Plastic Bank

How does Plastic Bank work? How does Plastic Bank support local communities?

"Plastic Bank identifies vulnerable coastlines around the world that require infrastructure for plastic collection, enabling local entrepreneurs to establish collection branches in convenient locations. This project helps bring collection communities together and prevents plastic from entering the ocean. The plastic collected and exchanged at the branches provides community members with benefits that improve their quality of life, as well as an ethical income to help them overcome poverty. These include access to healthcare, employment, digital connectivity, and banking services."

How can consumers imagine the impact of the Plastic Bank initiative?

"Plastic Bank and its partners have prevented the equivalent of over" 2.5 billion plastic bottles from ending up in the ocean ! You can check the real-time impact statistics here: https://plasticbank.com/ .

In addition to the environmental impact, members of collection communities exchange the plastic they collect for benefits that improve their lives (such as food, cooking fuel, health insurance, and internet access).

How does Plastic Bank decide which communities to support?

We are currently operating in Brazil, Indonesia, Egypt, and the Philippines. Plastic Bank operates in countries with high rates of plastic pollution and poverty. Most of these countries lack adequate waste management infrastructure and rely more heavily on single-use packaging to obtain essential goods that are clean and sterile. This results in a disproportionate amount of plastic pollution.

Why is recycling particularly important in coastal communities?

"Plastic Bank collaborates with coastal communities to establish collection points within a 50 km radius of the ocean or waterways that flow into it, in order to maximize the impact of removing plastic from the oceans. Before effectively cleaning debris from the ocean, it is essential to stop waste from entering in the first place: 'we need to turn off the tap.' For this reason, Plastic Bank’s main goal is the collection and recycling of ocean-bound plastic in coastal areas."

What happens to the collected plastic? How does a "circular economy of plastic" work?

"After collection, the plastic is recycled and transformed into a new raw material, called" Raw Material SocialPlastic® , which producers can purchase to ethically create more environmentally friendly and socially beneficial products. In this way, the cycle is completed, creating a sustainable circular economy for plastic. To learn more about Plastic Bank’s circular economy for recycled plastic, visit the information page: About-di Plastic Bank ".

LILLYDOO's collaboration with Plastic Bank

The LILLYDOO green products are Plastic-Neutral, but what does that mean?

"In simple terms, plastic neutrality describes a plastic footprint that is offset. A product or a line of products can achieve this by purchasing plastic collection credits from Plastic Bank equal to the amount of plastic used in the products and packaging during a specific period of time. For example: if a company uses 100 tons of plastic for packaging "Product A" in 2022, it will purchase 100,000 plastic collection credits from Plastic Bank, enabling the collection and recycling of 100 tons of plastic. In this way, "Product A" will be certified Plastic-Neutral in 2022".

Reduce plastic use: here's how to get started!

Each of us, in our own small way, can support Plastic Bank’s mission to reduce plastic in the oceans and contribute to a regenerative society—but how can you do it?

• "Anyone can help stop plastic from reaching the oceans by collaborating with Plastic Bank. Contribute, track your impact, and help save the ocean! To learn more: https://plasticbank.com/individuals/
  

• Another thing you can do is make more conscious purchases—for example, choosing environmentally friendly products and brands.
  

What advice do you have for consumers who want to be more aware of their plastic use?

"If you don’t know how much plastic you consume, take a look at the" Plastic Bank's 5-minute Plastic Footprint Calculator while, to get an accurate estimate of your annual plastic consumption, take a look here: https://plasticbank.com/plastic-footprint-calculator .
As an environmentally conscious company, LILLYDOO is committed to making the world a little greener, one step at a time. Our collaboration with Plastic Bank, as well as with ClimatePartner, helps us achieve this goal.
Therefore, we invite you to join us in this mission and consider purchasing our LILLYDOO green diapers to reduce your environmental impact.

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