Frequently Asked Questions

Plastics For Change is a Fair Trade certified recycled plastic supply chain company founded in 2015. It connects waste collectors across India and Southeast Asia with global brands, supplying ethically sourced rPET, rPE, rPP, and recycled fibers while funding fair wages, housing, and healthcare for the collectors who gather the raw material.

Plastics For Change sources, processes, and sells recycled plastic raw materials and finished circular products to global brands, while reinvesting Fair Trade premiums into the waste collector communities that supply the plastic. It also runs plastic recovery, offset, and EPR compliance programs for companies with sustainability or regulatory obligations.

Plastics For Change launched in 2015 with a crowdfunding campaign to create the world's first Fair Trade verified recycled plastic. Since then it has built what it describes as the world's largest and only Fair Trade certified recycled plastic supply chain, working with waste collectors across India and Southeast Asia.

The mission is to change the social and environmental impact of plastic by transforming discarded plastic into high-quality recycled materials. Every kilogram collected is intended to put money in the hands of waste collectors while keeping plastic out of oceans and landfills, aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goal 8 on decent work and economic growth.

Plastics For Change addresses two linked problems: plastic pollution and poverty among informal waste collectors. An estimated 15 million informal waste collectors globally still lack basic human-rights protections, even though roughly 58% of plastic entering the circular economy passes through the informal sector. Plastics For Change pays these collectors fairly and formalizes their role in the supply chain.

Plastics For Change gives waste collectors fair, consistent wages, access to development aid, and safer working conditions through a Fair Trade verified supply chain. Programs include housing (Namma Mane), electric tricycles that reduce physical strain and raise earnings, financial inclusion through banking access, and community investment in education and healthcare funded by Fair Trade premiums.

Plastics For Change was verified by the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) as the first recycler under that standard, and is also Fair Trade USA certified. A share of every transaction is paid as a Fair Trade premium, which is reinvested into stakeholder development (wages, training, safety) and community development (housing, education, healthcare) for collector communities.

Plastics For Change is led by founder & CEO Andrew Almack and Co-founder & Chief Impact Officer Shifrah Jacobs. The leadership team oversees a supply chain spanning waste collectors, processing partners, and global brand customers across India and Southeast Asia.

Social additionality is Plastics For Change's term for creating change beyond simply buying recycled material. It works on two levels: stakeholder development, which equips individual waste collectors with training, safety gear, and financial inclusion, and community development, which invests Fair Trade premiums into health, education, and rehabilitation programs for entire collector communities.

Plastics For Change supplies three core material families: recycled PET (rPET) in flakes, granules, and bales; recycled polyethylene and polypropylene (rPE and rPP) in grades including rPP White, rHDPE White, and rHDPE Grey; and recycled polyester fibers and yarns made from 100% rPET feedstock for textile manufacturing.

rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) is post-consumer PET plastic, such as bottles, that has been collected, washed, and reprocessed into flakes, granules, or bales. Plastics For Change's rPET is used in food-grade and non-food-grade packaging, bottles, and thermoformed products, with intrinsic viscosity (IV) levels between 0.70 and 0.82 dl/g.

Yes. Plastics For Change offers food-contact-grade rPET granules that are FDA compliant, alongside non-food-grade grades for industrial applications. All batches go through precision sorting, multi-stage hot and cold washing, and IV, moisture, and contamination testing, with a Certificate of Analysis provided per shipment.

rPE (recycled polyethylene) and rPP (recycled polypropylene) are recycled polyolefin resins used in rigid packaging, automotive and industrial components, household goods, and construction materials such as pipes and geomembranes. Plastics For Change offers rPP White, rHDPE White, and rHDPE Grey grades, each batch-tested for melt flow index (MFI) and density.

Plastics For Change produces spinning fibers, filling fibers, filament yarns, weaving and knitting yarns, and melange yarns, all made from 100% recycled rPET feedstock. These are designed as a virgin-grade-performance alternative for sustainable fashion and industrial textile manufacturers, with GRS certified options and OEKO-TEX-ready processing available.

Ocean Bound Plastic is plastic waste collected within roughly 50 kilometers of a coastline or waterway, before it can enter the ocean. Plastics For Change is Ocean Bound Plastic certified and was the first collection organization certified under the Social+OBP standard, which combines environmental collection verification with social impact requirements.

Every batch goes through precision sorting to remove contaminants, mechanical processing under controlled thermal conditions, and lab testing for properties such as IV, MFI, density, moisture, and color. Shipments include a Certificate of Analysis and full chain-of-custody documentation covering ESG, EPR, and sustainability reporting requirements.

Yes, that is how the materials are engineered. Plastics For Change positions its rPET, rPE, and rPP as drop-in replacements for virgin resin, matching mechanical properties like IV and MFI so manufacturers can use them in existing injection molding, extrusion, and spinning equipment without recalibration.

Beyond raw recycled resin, Plastics For Change manufactures Bricks for Change (construction bricks), recycled plastic lumber and pavers, sustainable fabrics, and branded sustainable merchandise such as bags, apparel, and corporate gifts, all made from recovered plastic with impact documentation included.

Bricks for Change are high-strength construction bricks made from recycled plastic waste, positioned as a sustainable alternative to traditional clay bricks. Plastics For Change states that every 1,000 bricks diverts about 2 metric tons of plastic from landfills and oceans, while creating income for the collectors who supply the feedstock.

Yes. Plastics For Change produces recycled plastic lumber, marketed as a weather-resistant, termite-proof, low-maintenance alternative to wood planks and boards, and recycled plastic pavers for walkways, parks, and commercial spaces. Both are aimed at infrastructure, CSR, and impact-driven construction projects.

Plastics For Change produces bags and travel goods (totes, backpacks, pouches), beauty and cosmetics packaging for gift-with-purchase campaigns, corporate collections such as employee welcome kits and event merchandise, and custom apparel, all made from 100% recycled plastic with full branding customization.

Plastics For Change manufactures woven, knit, non-woven, and blended recycled polyester fabrics made from 100% post-consumer PET, for apparel, activewear, home furnishings, linings, and technical textile applications. Blended options combine recycled polyester with organic cotton, recycled nylon, or other natural fibers.

Yes. Plastics For Change offers custom design and sourcing, branding, and packaging across its merchandise, apparel, and fabric lines, and supports pilot runs through to global-scale production. Every custom product ships with verified impact data that brands can use in their own sustainability storytelling.

A plastic offset (also called plastic recovery or plastic neutrality) is a program where a brand funds the collection of a defined volume of plastic waste from the environment, independent of its own product packaging, to neutralize its plastic footprint and support verified social and environmental outcomes.

The program runs in four steps: the brand defines its plastic footprint or offset target, Plastics For Change's network of 12,000+ trained waste collectors recovers the matching volume across India and Southeast Asia, the material is processed and third-party audited, and the brand receives recovery certificates and impact reporting.

Brands receive third-party verified recovery certificates by material type and source region, impact reports detailing collectors and communities supported, sustainability documentation formatted for major ESG reporting frameworks, and brand storytelling content such as photos and video from the recovery operations.

FMCG and CPG brands neutralizing packaging footprints, beauty and personal care companies running eco-conscious campaigns, corporate sustainability teams needing verified data for ESG reports, and organizations offsetting the plastic footprint of events, conferences, or marketing campaigns all use these programs.

No. Recycling or using recycled content addresses the material inside your own products, while a plastic offset funds the recovery of an equivalent volume of plastic waste elsewhere, regardless of whether it matches your packaging type. Many brands use both approaches together as part of a broader plastic strategy.

Extended Producer Responsibility is a regulatory framework that requires companies producing, importing, or selling plastic-packaged goods to ensure a set proportion of that packaging is collected and recycled each year. Companies that cannot manage this directly can purchase EPR credits from authorized recyclers or processors.

Yes. Plastics For Change acts as a bridge between Producers, Importers, and Brand Owners (PIBOs) and authorized Plastic Waste Processors (PWPs) in India, offering live credit transfers, full CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) compliance documentation, transparent pricing, and quarterly compliance reporting through its Fair Trade certified collection network.

Yes. Plastics For Change supports enterprises in meeting requirements under Republic Act 11898, the Philippine EPR Act of 2022, connecting them with certified collection programs and providing EMB-DENR-compliant documentation, transparent footprint reduction reporting, and quarterly compliance reporting.

Republic Act 11898 is the Philippine Extended Producer Responsibility Act of 2022. It requires companies that manufacture, import, or sell products with plastic packaging in the Philippines to register with EMB-DENR and meet progressive annual targets for plastic footprint reduction, either directly or through a certified Producer Responsibility Organization.

EPR credits fulfill a legal, regulatory obligation under a specific country's law, such as India's CPCB framework or the Philippines' RA 11898, and require government-recognized documentation. Voluntary plastic offsets are not tied to a specific regulation and are used by brands pursuing plastic-neutral or ESG commitments beyond compliance.

Yes. Plastics For Change is Fair Trade USA certified and was the first recycler verified by the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), a certification the company states makes it the world's only Fair Trade certified recycled plastic supply chain, covering fair wages, transparent pricing, and accountable sourcing practices.

Yes. Plastics For Change is a Certified B Corporation, meaning it has met independently verified standards for social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency, alongside its Fair Trade, Ocean Bound Plastic, and Social+OBP certifications.

World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) certification verifies that an organization's practices across its entire operation, not just a single product line, meet Fair Trade principles of fair wages, transparency, and accountability. Plastics For Change was the first recycler to be verified under this standard.

Impact claims are verified through Fair Trade USA certification, independent third-party audits of the supply chain, and full chain-of-custody documentation tracking material from individual waste collectors to the final shipment. Plastics For Change also publishes an annual impact report detailing collector outcomes, plastic volumes, and community investment.

Chain-of-custody traceability means every batch of recycled material can be tracked back through processing to the individual waste collectors who gathered it. Plastics For Change provides this documentation with every shipment so brands can substantiate ESG, EPR, and sustainability claims with verifiable, audit-ready data rather than estimates.

Plastics For Change works with informal waste collectors, often called waste pickers, across India and Southeast Asia, a workforce that includes an estimated 15 million people globally who historically lack basic labor protections despite handling roughly 58% of plastic that enters the circular economy.

Namma Mane is Plastics For Change's housing initiative that converts low-value plastic waste into recycled planks used to build homes for migrant waste collector families. The program is designed to provide safe, dignified shelter that improves health outcomes and financial stability for some of the most vulnerable workers in the supply chain.

The E-Tricycle Program distributes electric tricycles to waste collectors in Plastics For Change's network to replace manual pushcarts. The vehicles reduce physical strain and injury, increase daily collection capacity, and are intended to raise collectors' earnings by making their work more efficient.

Fair Trade premiums generated through Plastics For Change's supply chain fund community programs including health and nutrition services, children's education and scholarships, vocational skill development, financial inclusion (banking access and micro-insurance), and housing through the Namma Mane program.

Informal waste collectors handle an estimated 58% of plastic that enters the circular economy globally, yet often work without fair pay or safety protections. Plastics For Change estimates that every kilogram of plastic collected avoids 2 to 3 kg of CO2 emissions, linking fair labor practices directly to climate impact.

Brands can request material samples, pricing, or a custom supply chain solution directly through the Plastics For Change website. The team typically responds within one business day and can provide physical samples, full technical specification sheets, and ESG or EPR compliance documentation before any commitment is required.

Plastics For Change states that its team responds to material, sample, and partnership inquiries within one business day, whether the request relates to raw recycled resin, finished circular products, plastic recovery programs, or EPR compliance in India or the Philippines.

Yes. Plastics For Change offers sample kits and prototypes for its rPET, rPE, rPP, fiber, yarn, and finished product lines so brands can evaluate quality before committing to volume, along with full spec sheets covering IV, MFI, density, and contamination data.

Plastics For Change works with more than 15 global brand partners, including The Body Shop, Garnier, MAC, Estee Lauder, Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive, IKEA, Tesco, Inditex, Kimberly-Clark, Ocean Bottle, and Organyc, sourcing Fair Trade verified recycled plastic across packaging, textiles, and merchandise categories.

Yes. Plastics For Change offers coastal beach cleanups as an ESG or CSR initiative, organizing and executing the cleanup with full documentation, impact reporting, and brand storytelling content that companies can use to demonstrate visible environmental action.

Individuals can donate through two channels: Indian donors give via the Plastics for Change Foundation using a secure CCAvenue gateway through Standard Chartered, while international donors give via Every.org to the Plastics for Change Recycling Corporation, which accepts multiple currencies and payment methods.

Donations from India to the Plastics for Change Foundation, a registered not-for-profit Trust, qualify for tax deduction under Section 80G of Indian tax law, with a receipt issued for tax purposes. International donations processed through Every.org are tax-deductible where applicable under local law.

Donations are allocated across three pillars: economic and social empowerment (fair wages, safety equipment, financial inclusion), community development (housing through Namma Mane, education, healthcare), and recycling systems development (collection infrastructure and traceability technology). Plastics For Change reports outcomes in its annual impact report.

Yes. Beyond direct donations, individuals can follow and share Plastics For Change's work on LinkedIn, Instagram, and X, explore open roles through its careers page, or advocate for brands they support to source Fair Trade verified recycled plastic instead of virgin plastic.