Together, we’re making an impact! How much plastic have we saved this year?

As Plastic-Free July draws to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what collective action can achieve. Every reusable or recycled bag you chose, every conscious swap, and every conversation about reducing plastic has an impact that ripples beyond your household.

At Ecobags & Ecopack, we’ve also been busy behind the scenes, ensuring that the products you carry home are part of a cleaner future for Aotearoa and the planet. Here’s what we’ve achieved together so far this year:

Using recycled ocean-bound plastic: 92,000kg saved

Through our product ranges made from recycled ocean-bound plastic waste, we have diverted 92,000kg of plastic from ending up in our oceans. These bottles, collected from coastal areas at risk of ocean pollution, are given a new life as sturdy bin liners or pet poop bags that you can rely on every day.

Using recycled post-consumer plastic: 64,668kg saved

By using post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic in manufacturing our courier bags, retail bags and bin liners, Ecopack has saved 64,668kg of plastic from landfill this year alone. Using recycled materials reduces the demand for virgin plastic, cuts down on energy use, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions.

Investment in coastal plastic collection: 10,000kg removed

We’ve partnered with Plastic Collective, investing in plastic recovery credits that directly fund community-led plastic collection and recycling initiatives in regions lacking waste infrastructure. This year alone, our contribution has supported the removal of 10,000kg of plastic waste from the environment, empowering local communities and supporting a circular economy.

166,668kg, or 28 dump-truck's worth, of plastic saved so far this year!

Together with you, our conscious customers and wholesale partners, we have kept 166 tonnes of plastic from polluting our environment at the halfway point through 2025.

That’s the equivalent of:

• 28 dump-truck’s worth of plastic pollution saved,
• 3.6 Olympic swimming pools filled with loose plastic waste,
• 8.3 million empty 2L plastic bottles saved from landfills or waterways,
• A tangible step toward a cleaner, healthier environment for future generations.

What does that mean in terms of carbon emissions?

Recycling 166,668kg of plastic through the methods mentioned above translates to 244,972 kg of carbon emission savings!

Using recycled instead of virgin plastic saves a significant amount of carbon emissions, primarily due to reduced extraction, processing, and transportation energy needs. Carbon savings when using recycled over virgin plastic is typically ~1.5–2.5 kg CO₂e saved per kg.

Using conservative estimates, we can extrapolate that we’ve saved:

• 138,000 kg of CO₂e (138 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) by using 92,000 kg of recycled ocean-bound plastic instead of virgin plastic,
• 96,972 kg CO₂e (~97 tonnes) by using 64,668 kg of post-consumer recycled plastic instead of virgin plastic
• And, 10,000–20,000kg (let’s call it 10 tonnes) of CO₂e by purchasing 10,000kg worth of plastic credits.

244,972 kg CO₂e is the equivalent of saving:

• 570 barrels of crude oil not burned,
• Driving around the earth 30 times in an average petrol car,
• 38 Kiwi households’ electricity use for one full year,
• 122 round-trip economy class flights from Auckland to Sydney,
• What would be absorbed by 4,000 mature trees over a year.

The journey doesn’t stop here

While Plastic-Free July may be ending, our commitment to reducing plastic pollution continues every month. Here’s how you can keep the momentum going:

✅ Keep using your Ecobags reusable bags and Ecopack recycled products
✅ Choose sustainable alternatives wherever possible
✅ Encourage your community to make small, consistent swaps away from single-use plastic
✅ Support businesses prioritising recycled materials and circular economy models

Every action counts. Thank you for being part of this journey with us and for choosing to be a part of the solution. Together, we are creating a cleaner Aotearoa, one bag and one choice at a time.

Follow along on Facebook or Instagram for more updates, plastic-free living tips, and sustainability innovations as we continue working towards a plastic-free future.