Plastic Bank - Social Recycling Enterprise

Enriched Corporate · Found: 2026-03-11 13:12

Social enterprise creating recycling ecosystems in developing countries. Partners with SC Johnson, Henkel, and other brands. Provides economic incentives for plastic waste collectors, creating Social Plastic supply chains.

Source: https://www.plasticbank.com

Funding Details

Funder

Plastic Bank

Funding Goal

Plastic Bank is a social fintech enterprise running a global bottle deposit program that combats plastic pollution by paying collectors in developing countries to gather plastic waste, which is then recycled into Social Plastic® feedstock. The program combines poverty alleviation with environmental impact through blockchain-verified transactions and tokenized rewards.

Funding Amount

Tiered membership model: free tier (50–100 bottles), paid monthly subscriptions, and enterprise plastic credit purchases. Offsets under 45 tonnes via small business program; larger volumes via custom enterprise agreements.

How to Apply

No grant application process. Businesses register for a free or paid membership online, or book a consultation for enterprise plastic credits and Social Plastic® feedstock procurement.

Target Region

southeast-asia, africa, global

Contact

Contact form at https://www.plasticbank.com/contact/ — Book a consultation via the enterprise inquiry form on the homepage.

Last Checked

2026-03-11 16:43

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Eligibility: This is a commercial platform — only businesses purchasing plastic credits, memberships, or Social Plastic® feedstock can participate as partners; NGOs cannot apply for grants.
• Eligibility: Enterprise plastic credit purchases require minimum offset volumes above 45 tonnes; smaller volumes go through the small business program.

Project Scope

• Scope: Operations limited to Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, and Egypt — projects in other regions (e.g. Baltic Sea, Denmark) are not covered.
• Scope: The platform focuses on plastic collection and recycling feedstock supply chains; coastal or marine conservation work is only incidental to beach/coastal collection.

Required Documents

• Documents: Enterprise partners must complete a consultation form with plastic offset volume requirements and project description.

Constraints

• Constraints: Plastic Bank is the operator/service provider, not a funder — organizations must pay for impact rather than receive funding.
• Constraints: Social Plastic® and PlasticBank® are registered trademarks — logo use and impact claims require a paid membership or license agreement.

Summary

Plastic Bank is a Canadian-headquartered social enterprise operating a global bottle deposit platform that incentivizes plastic collection in developing countries. Rather than a traditional grant program, it functions as a marketplace and impact platform: businesses and individuals purchase memberships or plastic credits to fund verified collection by community members in Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Brazil, and Egypt. Collected plastic is reprocessed into Social Plastic® feedstock sold to brands like SC Johnson and Henkel. The platform offers tiered participation: free memberships for individuals and businesses that trigger small-scale collection, paid monthly memberships with verified impact reporting, and enterprise-level plastic credits and recycled feedstock procurement. Over 62,000 collectors have gathered 9.4 billion bottles since 2013. All transactions are blockchain-verified, providing traceable, auditable impact claims. For businesses, Plastic Bank offers marketing assets, logo licensing, and content tools to communicate sustainability credentials. Enterprise partnerships include plastic credit purchases (offsets) and procurement of Social Plastic® recycled material for packaging. EPR compliance solutions are also offered in the Philippines. The program holds an EcoVadis Gold sustainability rating and aligns with the UN Global Commitment on plastic pollution. This is fundamentally a commercial platform and social enterprise — not a grant or funding program for NGOs. Organizations cannot apply for funding here; they would engage as corporate partners purchasing impact, or potentially as local implementation/processing partners. The relevance for NGO grant-seekers is therefore minimal.

Historical Context

Founded in 2013. Over 9.4 billion bottles collected to date by 62,000+ collectors across 6 countries. Partners include SC Johnson, Henkel, Davines Group, Nutrabolt, and 500+ businesses. EcoVadis Gold rating achieved December 2024. Operations in Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, Egypt, and Cameroon.

Why it was added

Key social enterprise partner for plastic waste collection in developing countries, bridge between brands and local communities

Similar Programs

← Back to list