Plastic Credit Program

Solving the global plastic waste crisis will require solutions that build waste management infrastructure to allow for the recovery of plastic in the environment at scale. Plastic credits are a market-based mechanism to drive private sector capital to on the ground projects removing environmental plastic and creating next life solutions, including recycling, repurposing, and co-processing.

Co-Benefits

The social impact of crediting projects can parallel environmental benefits. The most acute plastic waste problems occur in developing parts of the world. Plastic credit projects can forward environmental justice, employment opportunity, education, community health & gender economic empowerment. Companies can support global projects aligned with ESG, CSR, sustainability, and UN Sustainable Development Goal priorities.

To implement plastic credits, a business should understand the potential organizational benefits, which include:

• Mitigating a specific volume, product line, polymer type, or geography of a plastic footprint
• Matching the unavoidable tonnes of plastic of a business
• Lowering a project’s cost of sourcing environmental plastics or producing recycled plastic
• Helping achieve plastic ESG and sustainability goals
• Certifying plastic as being ocean bound, marine or other sources and geography
• Employee education and engagement opportunities with content for CSR communication

A plastic credit represents collecting or recycling one tonne of plastic material, which can be transferred between organizations. They can be used by companies and other entities who desire to address their plastic footprint but are otherwise unable to do so in a practical or economically viable way. Plastic credits can mitigate external environmental plastic waste beyond a company’s control and the unavoidable volume of a plastic footprint. However, a plastic credit cannot be used by a company to claim it is part of their recycled plastic feedstock.

In generating plastic credits, there should be rigorous processes and working from a methodology that is separate from the actual project to ensure that the plastic recovery and recycling is:

• Additional – Recovery or recycling that otherwise would not occur
• Validated and approved on an independent, public protocol
• 3rd party audited & verified
• Individually identified, tracked, and retired on a public registry
• Assessed & documented for project social & environmental co-benefits

ClimeCo provides companies with a global portfolio of plastic credit projects with a diversity of geography, impacts, and circular economy solutions. Together we can help solve the ocean plastic waste crisis, scale recycling, and create new waste infrastructure. Plastic credits are an investment in ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, the well-being of communities, sustainability & being a better business.

At ClimeCo we have a zero-landfill goal, meaning we minimize plastic sent to landfill as much as possible. Plastic waste has an opportunity at second life through recycling, repurposing and/or co-reprocessing. We can help plastic credit buyers to assess, reduce and mitigate their plastic footprint, developing a long-term strategy for plastic reduction, mitigation, and recycling.