Partnering with Plastic Collective to drive plastic impact

Here at Ecobags we do a lot of thinking about the plastic problem. And this has recently led us to partner up with Plastic Collective to drive meaningful change in the fight against ocean plastic pollution.

We are investing in reducing our plastic waste impact through the Plastic Collective’s SEArcular by Greencore Indonesia Collection and Recycling Project, ensuring that plastic is removed from the environment and responsibly managed.

Tackling plastic waste together

✅ 10 tonnes of plastic waste collected in the first year – preventing plastic from polluting nature and oceans.
✅ A three-year commitment to sustainability, supporting long-term plastic recovery.
✅ Verra-certified plastic collection credits, ensuring full transparency and measurable impact.

A shared commitment to sustainability

Like us, the Plastic Collective is committed to working towards a greener tomorrow. They deliver training, educational programs and plastic recycle solutions to small remote communities and provide consultancy services for brands and projects to trade plastic credits.

Plastic Collective was founded by Louise Hardman. In 1991, Louise Hardman was leading a marine turtle research project with the Solitary Islands Marine Reserve in Coffs Harbour, Australia, on a turtle tagging program. She discovered a small green turtle that was dying a slow painful death from eating plastics hidden in the seagrass.

That turtle didn’t survive, but from that day Louise was determined to do something about the plastic waste epidemic. Today, Louise is a leading educator and zoologist fighting to help those vulnerable communities who lives and environment are being destroyed by plastic pollution.

Through the partnership between Plastic Collective and Ecobags, we’re proving that sustainability isn’t just a trend, it’s the cornerstone of good business. Indeed, 54% of consumers are now willing to pay a premium for sustainable products, and 66% rank sustainability as a top three purchasing consideration (McKinsey & Co).

Making A Difference: Empowering Waste Pickers for a Better Future

Tackling Indonesia’s Plastic Crisis

Indonesia is the third largest contributor to marine plastic pollution globally with high rates of plastic leakage into the environment from both collected and uncollected waste. Plastic waste in Indonesia is commonly burned, left in dumpsites, or taken to landfill sites operating beyond capacity. This mismanagement has negative health consequences for large swathes of the Indonesian population. There was also a widespread lack of incentives for coastal communities to collect the ocean bound plastic polluting their neighbourhoods (flexible plastics in particular), creating an urgent need for this empowerment-focused project.

The SEArcular by Greencore project in Java, Indonesia, is actively working to intercept plastic waste before it reaches the ocean, tackling the crisis through structured plastic collection and recycling efforts. A dedicated network of waste pickers and aggregators actively collects plastic waste from beaches, rivers, and drainage systems, preventing it from polluting high-risk areas. They also recover plastic from public spaces and streets, ensuring it doesn’t end up in unmanaged landfills, as well as from local businesses and households, creating a more sustainable plastic recovery supply chain.

Operating within a 2 km radius of their homes, waste pickers carefully collect, bag, and sort plastic to meet the project's quality standards. In return, they receive fair wages and premium prices for their efforts, providing them with sustainable livelihoods while tackling the growing plastic crisis. The SEArcular project is particularly focused on recycling difficult-to-process flexible plastics, ensuring that materials such as plastic bags, sachets, and multilayered packaging do not end up in nature or unmanaged waste systems.

Our commitment to funding this plastic collection and recycling activity will help expand Greencore’s impact. And this goes far beyond pure environmental benefit; Ecobags is also supporting Greencore’s provide its waste-picking communities with:

✅ Fair wages and safe better working conditions
✅ Training and education to improve plastic waste recycling safety and efficiency
✅ Access to health insurance through the Social Plus Scheme, ensuring waste pickers and their families receive critical medical support.

With Ecobags’ commitment, more plastic will be recovered and recycled, supporting both waste pickers' livelihoods and the transition to a circular economy where plastic waste is repurposed instead of discarded.

The Power of Verra Certification

Transparency is key in the fight against plastic waste. That’s why this partnership is backed by Verra-certified plastic collection, ensuring that every tonne of plastic recovered is:

✅ Tracked and independently verified – ensuring the impact is real and measurable.
✅ Aligned with global sustainability standards, reinforcing Ecobags’ credibility.
✅ Contributing to a scalable solution for plastic pollution reduction.

Plastic Collective’s certification badges provide a high-integrity signal to consumers that a brand’s claimed impact is real. By earning these badges, we can confidently showcase our sustainability achievements, demonstrating our commitment to responsible plastic use to our customers. We have just earned our first "10 Tonnes of Plastic Collected Per Year" badge, verifying that Ecobags is committed to removing 10 tonnes of plastic waste from the environment in our first year of funding a certified plastic collection project.

Join the Movement

Are you ready to take action against plastic waste? You too can partner with Plastic Collective to:

✅ Reduce your footprint and support verified plastic recovery initiatives.
✅ Earn certification badges that communicate your sustainability impact to consumers.
✅ Get a customised Plastic Impact Plan to find quick wins and long-term solutions tailored to you.

Find out more about our partner Plastic Collective here: https://www.plasticcollective.co/

This collaboration is a call to action for brands worldwide: plastic waste is a problem we can solve together!