Today, about 14% of the plastic produced in the world is recycled*. In developing economies, the good recycling rates are mainly due to the work of informal wastepickers: in Brazil for instance, 92% of aluminium is recycled while only 7% of municipalities have implemented official sorting programs. In more developed economies, the recycling industry is expected to create a lot of jobs in the near future: in France, it is estimated that about 440.000 jobs will be created by 2030.
As a water bottling company, Danone has took a stand in favor of circular economy, committing to implement concrete solutions in its supply chain and for its packaging. At Danone Ecosystem, we realized that the recycling industry is a fantastic lever for employment and professional empowerment. We simply need to connect with the people who actually do the work, to take up this environmental challenge.
With the wastepickers, the project teams, our partners and circular economy experts, we have designed inclusive business models to increase the recycling rates while professionally empowering our fragile economic partners.
*Sources: Ellen Mac Arthur foundation, CEMPRE, the French Institute for Circular Economy.
