Report on Sustainable Management and Marketing of Plastic Collective

This report provides an executive summary and detailed analysis of Plastic Collective, an organization focused on recycling plastic and educating communities about waste management. Founded by Louise Hardman, the company aims to reduce single-use plastics through knowledge sharing, innovative designs, and the creation of tools like the Shruder machine. The report examines the company's strategies, including empowering people with knowledge, innovating designs and materials, and creating reliable tools and equipment. It delves into the company's background, highlighting the global plastic waste epidemic and Plastic Collective's solutions. The analysis covers sustainability-related strategies, including the three pillars of sustainability (social, economic, and environmental) and the move towards a circular economy. The report also assesses the sustainability analysis conducted by Plastic Collective, including their planning, technology implementation, and partnership programs. Recommendations are provided for future strategies the company should adopt to promote its sustainable practices and address the environmental impact of plastic waste, including the importance of mechanical recycling, energy recovery, and addressing social and economic factors.

Running head: Sustainable Management and Marketing
Sustainable Management And Marketing

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Executive Summary
Plastic Collective is an organization which deals with the recycled plastic and conducts
educational programs which are focused on the chemistry of plastics and the process of
transforming waste into valuable products. It was developed by Louise Hardman who is a
teacher of Zoology and Chemistry. The company is working towards spreading awareness
amongst the people regarding the reduction of single-use plastics. It also provides machinery to
the remote communities which could transform plastics into reusable items thereby helping
them to generate income.
The strategy of the company is based upon three pillars i.e. empowering the people with
knowledge, innovating new designs and materials and creating reliable tools and equipment
like Shruder machine. The management and sustainability analysis of the company helps in
analyzing the impact of the use of plastics on the environment, society and economy. So, this
report conducts the management and sustainability analysis of Plastic Collective.
Recommendations would be given regarding the future strategies which the management of
the company should be engaged to promote its sustainable practices.

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Contents
Background to the case: An investigation of the background and importance of the company in the
national and international business landscape............................................................................................3
Research, analysis and discussion of sustainability-related strategies and issues.......................................5
Sustainability Analysis conducted by the Plastic Collective.........................................................................8
Recommendations and conclusions based on the analysis for future strategies to be adopted by the
management of the company...................................................................................................................11
References.................................................................................................................................................14

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Background to the case: An investigation of the background and importance of the company
in the national and international business landscape
It has been observed that plastic waste has become a worldwide epidemic. Almost 370 Million
people on 4000 islands in the Asia Pacific region suffer from lack of safe waste management. 11
Million tons of plastic have polluted the environment and seas.
Plastic Collective has been established for providing solutions to the problem of waste
management of plastics. It was formulated by Louise Hardman who is a Chemistry or Zoology
teacher. The strategies of the company are based on three basic fundamentals.
It aims at providing practical and reliable tools and equipment for recycling the plastics and
converting them into useful items thereby generating employment. It also empowers people
with knowledge and creates innovative designs and materials for recycling of plastic. It has
initiated the Shruder machine program which provides the communities with a recycled
solution for plastics so that valued recycled plastic output can be produced (Marshall and
Farahbakhsh, 2013).
The shredded raw material and molded products of the cord can be produced with the help of
this program. The movability of the Shruder permits the plastic recycling machine to be taken
near the waste thereby decreasing the restrictive cost of transportation of plastic waste in the
island and remote areas.
The company has also launched the Plastic Neutral Certification for corporates and businesses
through which they can offset the plastic utilized by them. It can be done with the help of direct

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sponsorship of a Shruder program. It will help the business to contribute to the sustainability
practices and social accountability.
The goal of the company is to promote its Shruder program to 4000 isolated and remote
communities in which the waste collection does not exist and severely impact the plastic waste
economy. The company has developed an educational program and mobile recycling machine
which is focused on the chemistry of plastics along with the transformation of waste into
valuable items (Plastic Collective, 2018b).
The company has been conducting workshops regarding the conversion of plastic waste and
seminars known as ‘Know your Plastics‘. The seminars educate the remote islands and
communities regarding the conversion of plastics into useful and practical items through simple
machines thereby generating income for them (Rhyner, Schwartz, Wenger and Kohrell, 2017).
The mission of the company is to prevent the leaking of plastics into the environment. In order
to accomplish its goal, it has developed various educational programs with training and tools.
These would help in transforming waste plastics into valuable resources thereby helping the
communities to earn their living.
The Shruder machine is a unique movable waste recyclable unit which is developed by the
company. It can run on a 2Kg generator and fit into a 6*4 ft trailer. It can transform 50kgs of
plastic into shred, squeezing and molded products in a day.With the help of its sustainable
practices, the company has addressed the problems of accumulation of 8 Million ton plastic in
the oceans annually.

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The company with its Shruder Program initiative has addressed to the global issue of burning of
plastics which can be detrimental to the health of people. The dumping of plastics can result in
unhygienic conditions and the increased threat of consuming plastic by fish which in turn being
consumed by humans.
The company has also helped in addressing the negative impact on tourism because of the
pollution of plastics. The visual and aesthetic effects arising due to pollution of plastics on the
beaches and waterways can pose a threat to tourism. Tourism is a major component of the
economy of many island countries (Brunner and Rechberger, 2015).
Research, analysis and discussion of sustainability-related strategies and issues
The issues and strategies related to environmental and sustainability analysis assist in
quantifying and comprehending the impact created on the society, nature and economy due to
the use of plastic. It also analyzes the impact on human development which is based on the
available resources and the capability of nature regarding the absorption of pollutants.
The base of this research is associated with industrial ecology which shall make use of the
material flow analysis, input-output analysis, life cycle assessment and system thinking. They
are implemented for deriving the solutions regarding the production and consumption systems
for lessening the environmental footprints ( Zaman and Lehmann, 2013).
The management and sustainability analysis comprise of development and applicability of
models, methods, indicators and strategies for realizing the future green shifts on the various

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levels in the society. They pertain to national, regional, product value chain and individual
levels.
The green shifts comprise of new technologies, behaviors and solutions to be applied in various
sectors like energy, metal production, manufacturing , transport, maritime activities,
management of waste and recycling etc.
The analytical methods to be used in the current scenario can be further developed by
integrating the knowledge on the natural resources, economy and biodiversity. It shall also
address and equalize the diverse values and interests by using the multi-criteria decision
support techniques.
The environmental and sustainability assessments and strategies can also be empowered by
the development of the techniques related to Information and Communication Technologies,
automated methods of data collection, the processing of information and distribution
(Rochman et al.,2013).
The management and sustainability strategies are based on the concept of sustainable
development. Sustainable development can be explained as a continuous and structured
process through which the society undergoes the transformations with the aim of securing
sustainable living conditions for the present and upcoming generations.
The strategies of sustainable development pertain to the reduction, reusing, recycling and
recovery of the plastics. The society should move towards a circular economy from a linear
economy (White, Dranke and Hindle, 2012).

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Figure 1: A circular economy
It has been researched that several greenhouse gases are emitted due to the degradation of
plastics. When the plastics are exposed to sunlight, they produce methane and ethylene as
greenhouse gasses. It can have a negative impact on organisms and ecosystems.
In order for a product to be sustainable, it must be socially, economically and environmentally
viable. These aspects are called the three pillars of sustainability. The plastics can make an
enormous contribution to the environmental sustainability with the help its energy saving
potential and options pertaining to recyclability and recovery of energy.
So it provides a scope for the development of the greenhouse gasses reduction strategies and
allows them to manage the development and implementation of products and processes in an
understandable manner ( Koroneos and Nanaki, 2012).
The ISO 14040/44 standard for Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standards can be adopted
in this regard. Another strategy can be associated with an environmental footprint. It denoted

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the environmental influence on systems rather than the impact of the climate alone. Plastics
can create environmental impact throughout their life cycle.
Environmental footprint models can be used for mitigating the effect of plastics on the
environment. It particularly address the influence of products and value chains. Another
strategy is related to the diversion from the landfill through mechanical recycling of the mono
material waste which is combined with the recovery of energy in modern and efficient
incineration plants.
The efficiency of energy recovery systems can also be upgraded and increased by developing
the old incineration plants and increasing the recycling rates up to 50% and decreasing the
waste which is going for recovery of energy (Miezah, Obiri-Danso, Kádár, Fei-Baffoe and
Mensah, 2015).
Sustainability Analysis conducted by the Plastic Collective
Planning plays an important role in sustainability analysis of plastic waste management. Plastic
Collective has endeavored towards evaluating and commercializing waste conversion
technologies. There are technologies at each level of the development cycle.
In this regard, there are some issues which are addressed for the successful implementation of
the technologies by the company. The aspects related to legislative, regulatory, contract and
development of the market and social stigma are addressed by the company.
There are significant barriers which are addressed by the company in the planning stage of
sustainability analysis. The company reviews its requirements regarding the facilities comprising

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of the building, grading, water systems, shoreline, reviewing the site plan , toxic emissions in
the air and septic systems.
The company also secures the contract in order to ensure a feedstock. The quantity of the
feedstock is constant throughout the life of the project as the system is optimized regarding a
specific flow rate.The sustainability analysis is also undertaken by the company regarding the
management and organizing its strategies ( Martinho, Pires, Saraiva and Ribeiro, 2012).
The thermal and biochemical conversion of technologies like pyrolysis, plasma arc, gasification
and anaerobic digestion is conducted by the company. Plastic Collective also conducts the
thermal conversion processes which are characterized by high temperature and conversion
rates as compared to biochemical processes (Dhokhikah and Trihadiningrum, 2012).
These technologies comprise of processes relating to decomposition in a non-reactive
environment which is referred to as pyrolysis or cracking processes. The process of pyrolysis is
conducted in this regard. It can be explained as an endothermic process which involves the use
of heat to decompose the carbon-based material in the nonexistence of air or oxygen.
The gasification process comprises of conversion of feedstock into synthetic gasses including
carbon monoxide and hydrogen in an atmosphere which is deficient of oxygen. The products of
gasification can be transformed into heat, chemical products and power or can be used in the
fuel cells (Yang, Sun, Xiang, Hu and Su, 2013).
Certain partnership programs are conducted by Plastic Collective in order to lead and control its
sustainability analysis programs. Its partnership programs work closely with various companies

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and communities committed to assisting in implanting the practical solutions for a healthier and
cleaner world (Plastic Collective, 2018a).
.
The solutions are being provided through social accountability and sustainability goals. The
company has evaluated a three-stage comprehensive partnership package which can be
accessed as a whole unit or single program categorized into various stages.
Stage 1 consists of Staff Plastic Neutral lunchtime workshop and pre-implementation briefing
for executives. Workshops are also being conducted for emerging leaders. Stage 2 comprises
Shruder program community sponsorship. Stage 3 includes the Shruder program engagement
and participation and media package (Rigamonti et al.,2014).
The sustainability analyses executed by Plastic Collective regarding controlling activities pertain
to the plastic neutral internal package. The company enables the corporates or businesses to
participate in the plastic neutral waste free assessment for their company. It would help in
empowering the management and staff for accomplishing the plastic neutral certification from
the company.
In the Shruder Program sponsorship and engagement package, the companies and businesses
sponsor a community which is struggling with waste and plastic pollution. Plastic Collective
helps in implementing the Shruder program on a region of the choice of the corporates. It also
reviews the outcomes and positive solutions with the help of its partnership program which will
enhance the company as a global collective change maker (Plastic Collective, 2018c).

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The company also enables the staff members to participate in the sponsorship program which
is organized in a 3-day employee engagement workshop. The participants shall participate in
the empower and innovate training and they can be part of the communities Shruder program.
They can also collaborate with local groups for creating long-lasting economic, social and
environmental changes (Al-Maaded, Madi, Kahraman, Hodzic and Ozerkan , 2012)
Recommendations and conclusions based on the analysis for future strategies to be adopted
by the management of the company
Certain recommendations are being made regarding the development of future strategies to be
adopted by the management of the company regarding its role of planning, organizing, leading
and controlling.The first strategy pertains to the adoption of waste to energy technologies in
the context of plastics.
In order to meet the economic and environmental goals of the country, the company needs to
implement the energy policies which can cater to the diverse energy supplies of its partners. It
includes retrieval of the renewable and alternative source of energy derived from plastics
(Wilson, Rodic, Scheinberg, Velis and Alabaster, 2012).
Plastics have a high energy content which could be transformed into electricity, synthetic gas,
recycled feedstock and fuels for new plastics and other chemical products.If this energy is
recovered then the reduced waste sent to the landfills can be decreased to some extent. Energy
recovery is becoming another source for clean and renewable energy (Jambeck, et al., 2015).