rePurpose Global Partners with SF London to Remove Plastic Waste from Nature

rePurpose Global, the world’s leading Plastic Action Platform, has pledged to remove 100 plastic wrappers, bags, and packaging waste destined for landfill on behalf of each attendee amounting to 40-60,000 pieces of plastic waste as part of a partnership with Sustainable Foods London conference and exhibition.

For every visitor that attends the event, held on 30-31 March at Islington Business Design Centre, the company will remove 100 pieces of plastic waste destined for landfill in Bogota, Colombia, and convert it into plastic wood used for the construction of homes, and even park benches.

rePurpose Global’s Chief Advocacy Officer and Co-founder, Peter Wang Hjemdahl said: “Sustainable Foods London is deeply committed to creating genuine environmental and social impact while sparking important conversations. We are really excited to partner with them and enable the removal of 100 plastic packets on behalf of each attendee. We hope this pioneering move inspires events, brands, and platforms to take responsibility and take real action.”

rePurpose Global is dedicated to reducing waste, reviving lives, and restoring nature’s balance. Through its pioneering ecosystem of solutions that span across advisory, action, and advocacy, the organisation helps people and companies calculate, reduce, and offset their plastic footprint while empowering grassroots innovators on the cutting edge of solving for the planet’s future.

To date, rePurpose Global has created systemic change for people across 26 countries and hundreds of purposeful brands worldwide. On behalf of its global coalition, the organization eliminates millions of pounds of plastic waste from nature every year, and in doing so, positively impacts the lives of 1000 marginalized waste workers and 9,500 community members worldwide.

Project Sueño Azul in Bogota, Colombia is a collaboration between rePurpose Global and waste management facility, ARB. ARB is one of the oldest independent waste picker-run associations in the world and represents Bogota’s 13,000 informal workers.

Through Project Sueño Azul, they are improving the collection and ethical processing of low-value, flexible plastic packaging waste (MLP, PP, LDPE) that would have otherwise been dumped in overflowing and hazardous landfills. MLP is used to make everything from chip packaging to candy wrappers.

This platform has vastly improved socio-economic standards and working conditions for its members. Its advocacy and organizing have led to public and government affirmation of waste workers’ crucial environmental role and upheld their fundamental right to work. As a result of ARB’s efforts, recyclers are now formally recognized stakeholders in Bogota’s waste management planning. They go to work with a firm sense of purpose, knowing that they are not just waste workers, but environmental agents who provide a crucial public service.

Once collected and sorted by rePurpose Global’s Impact Project, the low-value plastic waste is converted into plastic wood which can be used to make furniture, benches, park utilities, or even housing units.

Sustainable Food London’s Event Director Hussein Allawi added: “rePurpose Global were the perfect partner and collaboration for our event. They are doing amazing work globally and dealing with waste on the ground before it pollutes our world and damages nature. The project in South America not only removes non-biodegradable waste from landfill and protects natural surroundings but it is then recycled into plastic wood to build homes for people that need it.”