What is the Cleanhub process?
Cleanhub offers companies a solution to neutralize their plastic emissions to get one step closer towards plastic-free oceans. Brands can calculate their own plastic emissions and pay for an equivalent to be collected.
This enables Cleanhub’s vision of an economy where plastic is too valuable to waste. Brands that partner with Cleanhub enable communities in polluted areas to earn a living by keeping the oceans plastic-free. Anyone who wants to make a living from collecting plastic can do so by joining the Cleanhub movement. This way, local communities get empowered while companies all over the world become “plastic-neutral”.
How does Green Worms work?
Through Cleanhub, Bioelements is working with Green Worms - a social enterprise from Kerala, India that was founded on three core principles: minimize waste generation, divert waste from landfills + oceans, and dignify people working with waste. As one of the fastest growing companies in the waste management space in Kerala, they are trusted by the state government, panchayats (districts) and municipalities, as well as the private sector and NGOs.
Green Worms intercepts waste as close to the source as possible. They run door-to-door collection services for household waste, to ensure that waste (especially plastic) doesn’t end up in the environment. The entire collection is run by women self-help groups - fighting plastic pollution and poverty within one concept.
After the waste is collected, it is transported to a sorting center that is run by Green Worms. The household waste is segregated into different material types. Recyclable goods are sold to recycling companies and non-recyclable goods like multi-layer packaging are sent to safe disposal endpoints to make sure it doesn’t end up in the environment or illegal dumpyards.
Green Worms uses the Cleanhub app to track and document the whole collection process. The most crucial points in the recovery chain like weighment slips, images of the sorted material and other proofs of work are uploaded on the Cleanhub platform to verify the volumes that are collected and recovered. Based on these data points we generate plastic credits that are sold to brands that want to act against plastic pollution.
Why recover plastic from South Asia and not the USA?
Plastic pollution is a global problem that affects us all. Cleanhub places its focus on the most critical regions where we can have the highest possible impact on preventing marine plastic pollution. South (East) Asia is the gateway for more than 80% of all plastic that enters our oceans. We can help reduce the mismanagement of plastic waste in these regions to eventually stop this environmental crisis.
Why use plastic?
Does Bioelements understand its environmental impact?
Absolutely. We understand the consequences of packaging choices. And while much of our plastic can be recycled, we know that the vast majority is not - due to frustrating limitations in programs across the country that make recycling difficult or impractical for our consumers.That means that our packaging is ending up in landfills, or into our waters. We understand that the onus should not only be placed on the shoulders of our consumers - it’s also on us as a manufacturer. We are constantly seeking better innovations to package our formulas. This is an ongoing quest, and while we are optimistic about new innovations on the horizon, we are unsatisfied with the current options. So as we need to optimize product efficacy, safety and performance, plastic is what we are using today. That’s why we have set a real goal for plastic neutrality by partnering with Cleanhub to collect and repurpose plastic before it enters the world’s oceans.
