Community Trade Recycled Plastic

HOW MUCH OF A PROBLEM IS PLASTIC?

It’s no secret that plastic pollution has become a global crisis and the planet is drowning in plastic. It affects marine and ocean life, but it affects people too.

In India, almost a third of waste is uncollected. This has given rise to 1.5 million people known as ‘waste pickers’ who collect this waste in the informal sector. In Bengaluru, we’re working with an organisation who proudly call themselves the ‘Green Force’. They work with waste pickers who are the unsung heroes who work tirelessly to clean up their city’s streets.

‘Waste pickers’, however, are mostly made up of ‘dalits’, formally known as ‘untouchables’, the lowest social group in India’s caste system. This means that they are vulnerable to discrimination and poor working conditions.

That’s why we want to do more than fight pollution. We want to drive social change and help to empower people too.

HELP EMPOWER PEOPLE WITH COMMUNITY TRADE 

RECYCLED PLASTIC

At The Body Shop, we’re committed to tackling the plastic crisis differently.

Not using plastic is not the only answer. If used responsibly it can be sustainable, so we need to show love for the plastic that we do use.

An abundant resource of recyclable plastic already exists. That’s why we’ve started using Community Trade recycled plastic from Bengaluru, India.

This not only helps tackle the existing problem, it will also help to empower the waste pickers we support in Bengaluru with access to more sanitary working conditions, a fair price and the respect and recognition they deserve.

MEET OUR COMMUNITY TRADE PARTNERS,

PLASTICS FOR CHANGE

Plastics for Change are a for-profit organisation that partners with local NGOs Hasiru Dala and Hasiru Dala Innovation (HDI) to provide Bengaluru’s waste pickers with a stable income and better opportunities.

These partnerships help integrate marginalised waste workers and waste pickers into organised waste management by utilising their expertise. For HDI, their main focus is improving the livelihoods of waste pickers so that they can boost their entrepreneurial skills. They also provide training for other useful skills, including urban gardening.

MEET ANNAMMA

Annamma was a waste picker since she was a child. Now she is a manager of a Dry Waste Collection Centre.

With the help of Plastics for Change and Hasiru Dala, Annamma received managerial training and now employs a number of people, including her husband.

Annamma’s daughter is attending a plastic engineering course. Annamma wants her daughter to stay in the waste management business.

MEET KRISHNA

Krishna is also a Dry Waste Collection Centre manager.

He had a difficult childhood watching his mother struggle when they lost his father, but discovering he could make money from waste picking allowed him to build his future.

With the help of Plastics for Change and Hasiru Dala, Krishna went from waste picking to collecting waste from 24 different locations in the city. Now, he manages a team that provides a monthly waste collection service for 3-star hotels.

Krishna has high ambitions for the future of other waste pickers in Bengaluru.