Noble Plastic Under Fuzhio
Organization Details
Noble Plastics is an eco-social initiative by the Catalyst Group which champions effective use of plastic waste, while promoting the well-being of people and the planet. Piloted in 2018, the core business of Noble Plastics is currently to collect used hangers from corporations in the apparel industry, repurpose or recycle the hangers, and sell them back to fashion companies.
Operations are taking place in two sites in India- Delhi and Bangalore. The recycling and repurposing of hangers is done mainly by women and members of marginalized communities in these regions, who are hired, trained and empowered to work by our organization. Any surplus from Noble Plastics is re-invested into our flagship primary healthcare program for the urban and rural poor, Invest for Wellness (i4we). Finally, we measure the carbon footprint that Noble Plastics operations generate, and plant an equivalent number of trees to ensure carbon neutrality.
Impact Story
Noble Plastics’ value proposition is its win-win-win solution that improves the triple bottom line- people, planet and profits- within a circular economy framework. Benefits are three-fold:
- Enables companies to significantly reduce their costs, increase profits, improve reputation and contribute to sustainability
- Provides communities with increased employment, social equity and awareness of environmental protection methods, and better health.
- Improves the environment by reducing plastic waste and carbon footprint, while ameliorating waste management
Within just 14 months of operations, Noble Plastics:
- Achieved 100% hanger repurposing (65% reused + 35% recycled)
- Reused 120 + tonnes of plastic
- Generated INR 37.7+ lakh (~$51285 USD) in wages for marginalized groups
- Planning to reinvest a surplus of INR 20+ lakh (~$27200 USD) in improving health outcomes
- Planted 1650 trees in Bagepalli to achieve carbon neutrality
- Won the Humans of Circularity Challenge by Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF)