#CharlesKeithCares
CHARLESKEITH.COM IMPACT PROGRAMME
Ridding the oceans of plastic waste, empowering women
With every .com transaction, CHARLES & KEITH commits to prevent 5 plastic bottles
from entering and polluting the world’s oceans in collaboration with Plastic Bank.
IMPACT
Communities Impacted
Bottles prevented
KG Extracted
ABOUT THE IMPACT PROGRAMME
This World Clean Up Day, CHARLES & KEITH extends its eco-conscious journey as Ocean Stewards in partnership with Plastic Bank, launching an impact programme for its ecommerce site. From 17 September 2022 through to end 2024, every sales transaction on CHARLESKEITH.COM will see the brand prevent 5 plastic bottles from entering the ocean.
Beyond considering the well-being of the planet, this programme empowers collection community members in Indonesia and the Philippines – the second and third largest plastic polluters in the world respectively. These collection branches, which are located within 50 kilometers of ocean-bound waterways in Indonesia (Tabanan, Bali) and the Philippines (Manila, Cavite), support women collection members by providing access to life improving benefits such as groceries, cooking fuel, accident and medical insurance.
ABOUT PLASTIC BANK
Plastic Bank empowers Ocean Stewards to stop ocean plastic. Their ethical collection communities exchange plastic for life-improving benefits. Exchanges are recorded through a blockchain-secured platform that enables traceable collection, secures income, and verifies reporting. Collected material is processed into Social Plastic® feedstock for reuse in products and packaging – thus helping create new life for old plastic.
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN COLLECTION COMMUNITIES
INDONESIA
Indonesia is the world’s second-largest ocean plastic polluter, after China.
Meet Atmawati, one of the eleven female members working at Plastic Bank Collection Branch Gunastra in Tabanan, Bali.
Atmawati is grateful to work as a Plastic Bank member as she earns extra income for each kilogram of plastic she collects via the PlasticBank® app. With flexible working hours, she can also take care of her daughter. As a member, she also receives various life-improving benefits such as health insurance and groceries vouchers.
Atmawati is one of the eleven female members working at Plastic Bank Collection Branch Gunastra in Tabanan, Bali. On average, women account for 28% of Plastic Bank Indonesia members. However, Branch Gunastra has 30% female members, empowering more women with employment opportunities while helping to prevent plastic waste from entering the ocean.
PHILIPPINES
Philippines is the third largest plastic contributor of the world, according to a World Bank (2021) study. Get to know the efforts behind the collection communities and hear from one of the women collection community members of the Tala Collection Branch in Baseco, Tondo, Manila.
Plastic waste situation in the Philippines
Around 0.75 million metric tons of plastic are leaking from the Philippines every year. Though the government has initially conducted such programs and mitigating plans to reduce the plastic mismanagement in the country, the actions are not yet enough to provide solutions to the plastic problem.
Recycling facilities in the country are insufficient as most materials are not fully established to support recycling of all plastic wastes, and most do not find value in community junk shops in the country. Collection of solid wastes are by the local government units, however lack of segregation systems during collection challenges the value of plastics that could potentially be recycled.
Vilma’s story
Vilma is a resident of Baseco Community, in Tondo, Manila. She is 49 years old. She is a kind and hardworking wife. Her husband works as a shipper in Divisoria contributing to their daily income.
Vilma has been a member of Plastic Bank since 2019. Her side jobs include garlic peeling. Aside from the incentives she receives from Plastic Bank, Vilma is also one of the recipients of cell phone program that allows her children to access hybrid and online classes for school.
Vilma is one of the collection community members of the Tala Collection Branch in Baseco, Tondo, Manila. Tala Collection Branch is one of Plastic Bank’s collection branches that is mostly composed of female members.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
In conjunction with World Clean Up Day 2022, CHARLES & KEITH has partnered with Plastic Bank to help stop a minimum of 200,000 kgs of plastic from entering the ocean by 2024.
Beyond the eco-conscious direction, CHARLES & KEITH is supporting collection community members in Indonesia and the Philippines. The partnership reinforces the brand’s commitment to empower women by providing collection members with access to life improving benefits such as groceries, cooking fuel, accident and medical insurance.
Your purchase will help stop plastic before it reaches the ocean. For every transaction on charleskeith.com, CHARLES & KEITH commits to working with Plastic Bank to prevent 5 plastic bottles from polluting the world’s oceans. This impact programme will run from 17 September 2022 to 31 December 2024 in which time with the brand’s funding, Plastic Bank will ensure a minimum of 200,000 kgs or 10 million plastic bottles are stopped from entering the ocean.
Funds will specifically support Plastic Bank’s collection centres within the country of operation in the following ways:
- Collection Rewards & Bonus: Collection community members can exchange plastic for life improving benefits (such as secure income, work and health insurance, internet data, groceries).
- Development & Maintenance of Recycling Infrastructure: Supporting collection operatives & network to develop and operate projects to Stop Ocean Plastic.
- Technology Development for material traceability: Maintaining Plastic Bank’s blockchain secured platform that enables traceable collection, secures collector income, and verifies reporting. Plus ongoing platform improvements to advance Plastic Bank’s internal auditing and reporting capabilities, add new user types, and offer more tech enabled social benefits.
CHARLES & KEITH’s commitment helps support 5 collection centres:
- Bank Sampah Bongan (Br. Bongan Jawa Kawan, Bongan, Kec. Tabanan, Kabupaten Tabanan, Bali 82121, Indonesia)
- Gunastra Spoke Joni (Jl. Timbul, Delod Peken, Kec. Tabanan, Kabupaten Tabanan, Bali 82121, Indonesia)
- Kalinaw (132-N Kalayaan Ave, Diliman, Quezon City, 1100 Metro Manila, Philippines)
- Dewaste (Blk 11 Lot 14 Greentown Villas, Mambog 3, Bacoor City, Cavite, Philippines)
- Tala (Aplaya, Brgy. 649, Zone 68, Manila, Philippines)
INTERACTIVE MAP
Find out more about our CSR partner
