Plastic Bank is a for-profit social enterprise founded and based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that builds recycling ecosystems in under-developed communities in an effort to fight both plastic pollution in oceans, as well as high poverty levels in developing countries. The company allows people living in poverty to collect plastic and trade it for goods and services including school tuition, medical insurance, pharmaceutical access, internet access, and cooking fuel, with the aim of adding more benefits to their program in the future. Plastic Bank reprocesses collected plastics for reintroduction into the supply chain. They currently have operations in the Philippines, Indonesia, Brazil, and Egypt, with plans to expand into Colombia and Vietnam in the coming years
History
Plastic Bank was founded in 2013 by David Katz and Shaun Frankson, with the vision of turning plastic waste into a form of currency to help lift underserved communities out of poverty.
The organization began its operations in Haiti in 2013, then expanded to the Philippines in 2016, followed by Indonesia in 2018 and Brazil in 2019. In 2020 Plastic Bank reached Egypt—its first expansion into the Middle East. In 2023, it launched in Thailand and developed its ecosystem in Cameroon.
Plastic Bank development timeline:
2013: First pilot collection center in Lima, Peru
2015: First full ecosystem launched in Haiti, following the success of the pilot program in Lima
2016: App development begins in partnership with IBM
2016: Expansion into the Philippines
2018: Expansion into Indonesia
2018: Partnership with SC Johnson
2019: Expansion into Brazil
2020: Expansion into Egypt
2023: Expansion into Thailand
2023: Expansion into Cameroon
Mission
Gathering for prosperity
Impact
Plastic Bank claims that as of April 2025, they have collected over 160,000,000kg (160,000 long tons; 180,000 short tons) of plastic, through over 57,000 collection members in their 6 countries. The company claims that this figure for plastic is equivalent to over 8 billion plastic water bottles.
Plastic Bank also has a Community Partnership Program, which provides plastic collection facilities and education to schools and faith-based communities—helping them practice recycling from an early age.
Awards
2023: International Green Industry Hall of Fame, Inductee
2023: The Globe and Mail: Report on Business Magazine, Changemakers Award (David Katz)
2022: Reuters Events Responsible Business Awards, Social Impact Award
2022: NBJ Award: Sustainability and Stewardship Award, (won in partnership with Natreve)
2021: Energy Globe Award, National Winner (Philippines)
2020: IBM Beacon Blockchain Trailblazer Award, (won in partnership with Cognition Foundry)
2020: SC Johnson, Sustainability Award
2020: Dow Packaging Innovation Award, Top Diamond Award Winner
2020: Meaningful Business, 100 Award Winner (David Katz)
2019: Sustainable Beauty Award, Best Packaging Award (Henkel)
2019: Packaging Europe, Best Practice Award Winner (Henkel)
2019: Greentech Festival, Game Changer of the Year
2019: EY Entrepreneur of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award
2019: PAC Global Awards, Leadership Packaging Award (Henkel)
