Everllence has signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with social enterprise Plastic Fischer, which will see the clearing of rivers near Everllence locations in India of plastic waste.
Plastic Fischer is a Cologne-based startup that combats ocean plastic pollution while creating jobs in emerging countries. As part of the partnership, regular joint-collection campaigns with employees will take place at Everllence locations in India.
Everllence said in a press release that the partnership will enable Plastic Fischer to collect and recycle between 450 and 500 tons of plastic over the next three years.
A total of seven floating barriers will be installed in Vadodara and Bangalore to capture plastic from the river. The startup will also use the funding to open two material-recovery facilities to sort and recycle the collected materials.
In the first year, these measures are expected to create 20 local jobs.
Uwe Lauber, CEO of Everllence, said: “Protecting oceans and waterways is especially important to us. Plastic Fischer has been carrying out impressive work in this field for many years, and we are proud and happy to support their mission.”
Karsten Hirsch, CEO and founder of Plastic Fischer, said: “We are very pleased to take our next big step with Everllence and expand into two new locations at once.”
“This long-term support will help us build infrastructure and drive sustainable change on-site. We are proud to have earned Everllence’s trust to build a flagship project with a strong local impact together,” Hirsch added.
Michael Melzer, head of experience communications and responsible for donations and sponsorships at Everllence, said: “What convinced us about Plastic Fischer, in addition to our shared commitment to protecting waterways, was its local approach.”
“Together, not only can we fight plastic waste, but we can also make a contribution to local economic development around our Indian sites. Furthermore, our employees in Bangalore and Vadodara can volunteer in the cleanups; it’s a great cooperation,” added Melzer.
Plastic Fischer uses barriers called TrashBooms to capture plastic directly in rivers.
Non-recyclable waste is processed in cement plants, serving as a more environmentally friendly alternative to landfill or incineration, as it produces no residues like ash and simultaneously replaces fossil fuels.
