Plastic Collective: Report on Sustainability Analysis and Strategies

This report provides a sustainability analysis of Plastic Collective, an Australian start-up dedicated to waste management, particularly focusing on plastics and other toxins. The analysis examines the company's mission to prevent plastic waste from entering oceans and its efforts to address environmental concerns. It covers the company's overview, waste management practices, sustainability-related issues, and strategies for improvement. The report identifies challenges such as the high cost of recycling methodologies and the large volume of waste in Australia. Strategies for sustainability are proposed, including cost-efficiency, manpower enhancement, and technological advancements. The role of planning, organizing, and leadership in achieving sustainable development is also discussed, along with recommendations for a transformative leadership approach. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of proper monitoring systems to regulate sustainability practices within the organization and achieve its goals. The paper highlights the necessity as well as importance of sustainability in the society and the world and what measures can be taken in order to meet the necessity successfully.

Running head: PLASTIC COLLECTIVE
PLASTIC COLLECTIVE
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author Note

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Executive Summary
Sustainability analysis can be defined as the analysis of environmental, life-cycle, climate and
other impacts of renewable energy technologies of an organization. The respective paper is a
sustainability analysis of a start-up of Australia named Plastic Collective that aims at proper
waste management in Australia. The respective paper has issues and strategies of sustainability,
with recommendations in order to improve sustainability measures in their operations. The paper
highlights the necessity as well as importance of sustainability in the society and the world and
what measures can be taken in order to meet the necessity successfully.

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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Discussion...................................................................................................................................................3
Overview of the company........................................................................................................................4
Waste Management.................................................................................................................................4
Sustainability related issues.....................................................................................................................5
Strategies for Sustainability.....................................................................................................................5
Role of Planning..................................................................................................................................6
Role of organizing...............................................................................................................................6
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
Sustainability analysis can be defined as the analysis of environmental, life-cycle, climate and
other impacts of renewable energy technologies of an organization (Missimer 2015). The
respective paper is a sustainability analysis of a start-up of Australia named Plastic Collective
that aims at proper waste management in Australia. Plastic Collective is a social start-up
enterprise that focuses on different innovative and efficient ways of waste management and
recycling of plastics and other toxic materials from the oceans and other environmentally
sensitive areas of Australia. Sustainability analysis is important for an organization because it is
a significant diver for a bio-based economy (Cinelli, Coles and Kirwan 2014). Therefore, every
enterprise must conduct a sustainability analysis where they would be able to identify their
sustainability advantages as well as disadvantages so that they are able to rectify their fallacies
and/or enhance their advantages (Hahn and Kühnen 2013). The respective paper has issues and
strategies of sustainability, with recommendations in order to improve sustainability measures in
their operations. The paper highlights the necessity as well as importance of sustainability in the
society and the world and what measures can be taken in order to meet the necessity
successfully.
Discussion
The growing environmental concerns in Australia have given rise to social enterprises such as
Plastic Collective Australia. Plastic Collective Australia is a start up organization situated in
Australia which has three basic and fundamental concerns, empowering people with knowledge,
innovating new designs and materials, and create with practical and reliable tools and machinery,

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for the sake of sustainability and the environment (Plasticcollective.co.au.2019). Plastic
Collective is a dedicated business which focuses on waste management, especially with plastics
and other toxins that has happened to enter into the food chain and disrupted it, leading to
environmental degradation and imbalance in the ecosystem and habitat.
Overview of the company
Plastic Collective Australia is a pro-environmental concern which was founded by Louis
Hardman in Australia, in the year 2016 (Plasticcollective.co.au.2019). The enterprise has the sole
intention to prevent plastic wastes to be leaked in the oceans, thereby, preventing the depletion of
marine ecosystem, up to a certain extent (Plasticcollective.co.au.2019). The company happened
to come into being after the owner of the company, Ms. Hardman witnessed an experience of
death of a turtle near the pacific ocean due to the over disposal of plastic in the ocean waters. The
turtle happened to digest the plastics in the water that caused it to die. The view of death of the
poor turtle awakened the consciousness in the mind of Hardman and therefore, she decided to
fight back environmental pollution through waste management. Therefore, the company was
formed (Plasticcollective.co.au.2019).
Waste Management
Waste management can be defined as the activities and actions that are required in order to
manage the wastes from its inception to its final disposal, which is further divided and segregated
into biodegradable wastes and non-biodegradable wastes (Waste 2018). The process of waste
management includes collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of waste with the help of
monitoring and management of disposal of waste (Rhyner et al. 2017). Waste management is
essential for the environment as it helps in segregation of waste which in turn, is utilized in
reduce-reuse-recycling or scientific disposal, helping the environment in remaining clean and

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sustainable for the human beings and organisms to survive and thrive in the ecosystem
(Assembly 2015).
Sustainability related issues
The company has been facing certain issues regarding sustainability in their functions and
operations. The social enterprise has been dedicatedly and diligently working for the betterment
of the environment and ecosystem with the help of plastic waste management and also by
making sure that the wastes do not get contacted with the ocean. However, certain issues which
they have been facing are; Firstly, the methodologies and mechanisms that they use in order to
recycle plastics are expensive. The innovations which they have inculcated into their recycling
and waste management system had been almost unaffordable in certain local councils of
Australia that are responsible for maintaining hygiene and sanitation of their respective area.
Secondly, Australia produces a massive amount of waste which is nearly next to impossible for
independent waste management companies to tackle and recycle (Pickin and Randell 2017).
Even though there has been sufficient technology and manpower, yet it is not optimum to tackle
a huge industrial and domestic waste of Australia (Zaman 2014). Therefore, the enterprise Plastic
Collective faces such limitations of action and capacity.
Strategies for Sustainability
An organization is in a dire need to strategize itself in the field of sustainability. In order to
manage wastes, Plastic Collective Australia is suggested to frame their sustainability strategies
properly and judiciously. The enterprise is suggested to become more cost-efficient and
economically sustainable in their approach, functions and operations. Apart from innovating and
building proper technological infrastructure, the company should also try to understand its
affordability.

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The enterprise Plastic Collective Australia has to become more efficient with more sufficient
manpower and technological power according to the exponential growth of wastes (industrial
and domestic) all over Australia. The enterprise needs to frame strategies which would be
competent enough for tackling such colossal wastes. The company can introduce more
manpower and better, yet best technologies in order to cater to the needs of the sustainability
practice of the organization. The Plastic Collective also has to introduce changes in their
management strategies, especially leadership strategies, which needs to be more democratic and
transformative, where the employees would also be getting chance to participate in decision
making for emerging as a better and more enhanced company.
Role of Planning
For sustainable development, planning is the most urgent necessity and an important requisite
(Wheeler 2013). For achieving an all round sustainable development, an integration of natural
resources, human resources and capital is necessary. The company Plastic Collective can plan to
revisit and readdress the department of finance, research and development and human resource
management in order to bring economic as well as holistic sustainability in their business. In
order to make itself affordable and strongly competent, it should plan to develop its finance team
and make amicable contacts with the stakeholders for its awareness, publicity and reputation
(Hörisch, Freeman and Schaltegger 2014).
Role of organizing
There is an immense contribution of organizing in the field of sustainable development of a
company or an enterprise (Albers Mohrman and Shani2011). However, in the contemporary
global world, the need of organizing the resources for effective sustainability has become
challenging and uncertain (Uow.edu.au. 2019). Plastic Collective, in order to organize its

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sustainability measures, can arrange for the developmental schemes of the finance teams as well
as their stakeholders in order to create awareness, publicity and reputation. In order to influence
the finance team, the organization can arrange for training sessions and recruitment processes
that would help the organization employ new and efficient candidates who would be eager and
eligible enough to take the organization into a different and positive paradigm of sustainability.
The company can also arrange for certain technological innovation experts who would be eager
to renovate as well as develop their technologies in such a position that it would be efficient
enough to meet the needs of the Australian waste management system and arena.
Role of leadership
Role of leadership in sustainability is immense. Commitment and leadership in prospective as
well as functional leaders is essential for the success of sustainability initiatives. The company
uses autocratic leadership where the employees and the subordinates of the company are being
dictated by the management professionals without involving them or providing them an active
participation in the decision making process. The company needs to apply transformative
leadership skills where the managers and team leaders would work with teams to identify the
need of the change, create the vision for change integrating the employees and subordinates
together.
Role of control
The company has a lack of monitoring system in their sustainability measures and actions. The
company is needed to be having a proper monitoring system in order to control and regulate the
sustainability practices within the organization for enhancement of the business and its
operations.

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Conclusion
The respective paper concludes to be a sustainability analysis of a start-up of Australia named
Plastic Collective that aims at proper waste management in Australia. The respective paper has
issues and strategies of sustainability, with recommendations in order to improve sustainability
measures in their operations. The paper highlights the necessity as well as importance of
sustainability in the society and the world and what measures can be taken in order to meet the
necessity successfully. The paper also focuses on the role of planning and organization in the
development of sustainability in the organization and how can it be achieved by implementing
correct and rational mechanisms.

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References:
Albers Mohrman, S. and Shani, A.B., 2011. Chapter 1 Organizing for Sustainable Effectiveness:
Taking Stock and Moving Forward. In Organizing for sustainability (pp. 1-40). Emerald Group
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Assembly, G., 2015. Sustainable development goals. SDGs), Transforming our world: the, 2030.
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Hörisch, J., Freeman, R.E. and Schaltegger, S., 2014. Applying stakeholder theory in
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Plasticcollective.co.au.2019. Available at: https://www.plasticcollective.co/
Plasticcollective.co.au.2019. Available at: https://www.plasticcollective.co/about-2

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Plasticcollective.co.au.2019. Available at: https://www.plasticcollective.co/news
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