We are proud to announce Minori is Certified Plastic Negative through our partnership with rePurpose Global! For every product we sell, we are contributing a percentage towards vetted impact programs that will remove ten times as much nature-bound plastic used in our products and operations. Each of our products now carries a beyond Net Zero Plastic Footprint!
rePurpose Global's Impact Projects remove and recover plastic pollution across seven countries and three continents. Our certificate will help fund Project Neela Sapana in Chennai, India. Over the last few decades, the pristine coastlines of Chennai have been devastated by rampant plastic pollution, affecting wildlife and contaminating waterways. 100% of the plastic recovered through this Project is ocean-bound, which means collecting plastic waste in a 100km radius from the coastline that would otherwise have not been collected. Essentially, it is an intervention to divert this plastic safely away from the oceans before it ever has a chance to leak into it.
Project Neela Sapana entails recovering and processing low-value, single-use plastic waste such as multi-laminate plastic (MLP) to stem its flow into our natural ecosystem. The lack of recycling value means that MLP is either dumped into nature or openly flared, leading to carbon emissions and contamination of our environment. This Project directly catalyzes the ethical collection and permanent disposal of hazardous MLP waste.
rePurpose Global has funded the set-up of a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Gerugambakkam, Chennai. Following the collection of MLP, waste workers segregate, clean, and transport the plastic to cement kilns for co-processing. As this type of plastic cannot be recycled, the best environmental option as prescribed by the United Nations Basel Convention is co-processing. Energy is recovered from the plastic, and the remaining waste is effectively disposed of without harmful emissions. They are also able to extract some of the minerals in the plastic waste and use them in the creation of cement. This initiative disposes of unrecyclable plastic waste without sending it to landfills or river dumpsites. It also reduces coal usage in the cement manufacturing process, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Our partnership with rePurpose Global also allows us to empower marginalized waste workers worldwide. The Impact Projects rePurpose Global commissions removes and recovers twice as much plastic as our plastic footprint while employing waste workers who may otherwise struggle to secure formal employment. With the help of our Plastic Negative Certification's contributions to rePurpose Global Impact Projects, waste workers can earn greater wages, benefit from socio-economic interventions, and get access to an inclusive and dignified work environment.
Minori's believes in mindful consumption as a path to sustainability. By being intentional about the items we bring into our lives, we care for ourselves, our community, and our planet. We are proud to offset our plastic footprint by going Plastic Negative with rePurpose Global. We recognize that there is more work to do to protect our planet, and earning our Plastic Negative Certification is only one step in our long-term sustainability plan.