Why We Chose Plastic Bank

Today’s blog focuses on why we decided to form a partnership with Plastic Bank and how they’re helping with environmental sustainability

Waste plastic is a huge problem - there’s no getting away from it. To give you an idea of the scale of this issue, a 2016 report from the World Economic Forum projected that at the current rate of pollution, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans. That’s a scary thought.  

There are many similar stories out there about the sheer volume of the waste plastic, how many marine animals it kills or how toxic it makes the surrounding area of landfills and it doesn’t stop there. According to a study by the National University of Ireland in Galway, almost a third of plastic in Europe that we set aside for recycling, is being exported and dumped into the sea in Asia. All this points to the fact that action has to be taken and both people and companies should assume responsibility for the waste they create. 

How did this shape Nereus London?

This was firmly in our minds when we were in the very early infancy of creating our brand - we’re aware of the environmental damage that plastic causes and certainly don’t want to contribute to it. This ethos was the driving force behind the design of our packaging and containers - to make everything as environmentally sustainable as possible and certainly not use any plastic. Our bottles and caps are made from aluminium, which is infinitely recyclable, the labels we use are biodegradable, and the outer packaging itself is recycled cardboard. 

 

However, what we also realised is that sometimes not being part of the problem simply isn’t enough. It’s easily illustrated with this example: if your house is on fire and you’re not actively making it hotter, that’s something, at least, but it doesn’t tackle the root of the problem in any meaningful way. This obviously begged the question, what could we, as a small start-up finding its way in the world, do to help? 

Frankly speaking, on our own, not a massive amount. This is why we decided to start looking for partners who knew what they were doing when it comes to sustainability and tackling the problems caused by waste plastic. After a considerable amount of research, we landed on Plastic Bank, a Canadian organisation dedicated to revolutionising the way plastic is recycled in the countries that suffer the most from its detrimental effects.

Who are Plastic Bank?

Established in 2013, Plastic Bank started operating in Peru with the goal of not only cleaning up the plastic-ravaged rivers and oceans there but also turning that task into a way of helping the local communities financially. The idea was to create a self-sustaining ‘ecosystem’ whereby recycled plastic is not only used to the advantage of the people who collect it but also enables them to make a living from doing so.

 

Since then, Plastic Bank has won multiple awards for its endeavours and expanded into a variety of other countries, such as Haiti, Brazil and The Philippines. They also developed a partnership program for businesses to join, which means that companies who want to assist and help grow the program can use a portion of their profits to help reclaim ocean-bound plastic waste. The way in which we work with them is that for every bottle of Nereus London Shampoo, Conditioner or Body Wash sold, we commit to reclaiming 1kg of ocean-bound plastic. 

 

We’re proud to be partnered with an organisation that is working to make the world a better place and we’re committed to constantly reviewing the choices we make when it comes to our designs, packages and ingredients so that moving forward we can be as sustainable as possible. 

To find out more about our sustainable products, please view our natural product range, all free from harmful chemicals, plastics, and pollutants.