“We need to take a “Swiss cheese” approach to plastic waste management. Focusing on just one aspect of the plastic recycling and waste management system will not be enough — we have to apply multiple strategies to mitigate the complexities or “holes” in the plastic value chain,” – Laura Benns, Director, Programs, SecondMuse.
Plastic pollution soared from two million tonnes in 1950 to 348 million tonnes in 2017, becoming a global industry valued at US$522.6 billion, said UNEP. It is expected to double in capacity by 2040. Given the statistics, it is clear that to a capitalistic firm, the plastic industry presents a highly lucrative opportunity to aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs alike.
In this final part of this three-part series, we will look at some of the solutions and startups that are already in this space in Asia.
Strategies by startups
Firstly, in the plastic waste space, the areas with the greatest room for innovation are:
- Plastic alternatives
- Plastic reduction
- Better waste and collection methods
- Recycling
At Marico Innovation Foundation, an organisation with a keen focus on nurturing disruptive Indian innovations, they have identified that the most effective startups tend to have a mix of the following qualities:
- The solution is cost-effective or has a path to becoming cost-effective with scale.
- The solution addresses a problem area gap that few startups are working on at present or a problem area that is severely underserved.
- The solution is based on a proprietary technology that can help the startup create a moat and be defensible as a business in the future.
- The solution should save carbon emissions on a net level.
- The solution is supplemented with strategies to procure waste in bulk and has the potential to supply an output level required by corporates.
Below are some examples of notable and interesting startups for each category in Asia.
Also Read: Alterpacks converts food grains into bio-degradable containers to combat single-use plastics
Plastic alternatives
The startups below provide alternative materials that can replace plastic to create plastic products such as packaging.
| Startup | Founded | Country | Details |
| Evoware | 2016 | Indonesia | Produces packaging made of seaweed and algae, which provides nutrients to the soil and water when it decomposes and breaks down. |
| AlterPacks | 2019 | Singapore | Created a new material from food waste to replace plastics. |
| Cleanbodia | 2015 | Cambodia | Utilises cassava, a root vegetable grown extensively throughout Southeast Asia, to make biodegradable bags, which can decompose within five years in water, soil, and buried garbage. |
| Mushroom Material | 2020 | Singapore | Mushroom Material has developed mushroom-based packaging materials that are sustainable and compostable as a direct replacement for expanded polystyrene/styrofoam. |
| Evlogia Eco Care | 2018 | India | Produces straws made from fallen-down coconut palm leaves. |
Plastic reduction
The startups in this category tackle the demand side of the plastic ecosystem, which includes directly encouraging consumers to change their consumption habits by reusing or removing the plastic component in consumer products and services.
Out of all the categories for plastic waste solutions, this is likely the one that is the hardest to scale. Ironically, this is likely the most effective solution, as it completely removes plastic from the equation.
| Startup | Founded | Country | Details |
| Mottainai World Eco Town | 2015 | Cambodia | Refills household and personal hygiene products, enabling households to reuse plastic containers. |
| Klean | 2012 | Malaysia | Offers a Malaysian-made smart reverse vending machine (SRVM) and an app that rewards people for recycling empty PET bottles and aluminium cans with a points scheme. |
| AYA REUSABLE CUP | 2019 | Vietnam | Allows a request of an eco-friendly cup AYA at any participating coffee shop or smoothie bar with consumers’ ID code. With the Life Time Membership Pass option, consumers can drop the AYACUP at any participating location. |
| Siklus | 2019 | Indonesia | Delivers refills of everyday needs to people’s doors without plastic waste and offers refill station services. |
| MUUSE | 2018 | Singapore | Supplies restaurants and cafes with reusable and returnable takeout containers to F&B partners. |
Better waste collection and sorting
The solutions under this category aim to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of waste collection systems.
| Startup | Founded | Country | Details |
| Ishitva | 2018 | India | Ishitva makes automation solutions for sorting of recyclable materials using Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and IoT. |
| P.E.T. Plastic Ecological Transformation | 2017 | China | Incorporates blockchain technologies in their products which are recycled from plastic materials, allowing for plastic traceability. |
| GEPP Sa-Ard | 2017 | Thailand | A one-stop shop for waste management with data and traceability. |
| Gringgo | 2014 | Indonesia | Provide on-demand services to book a truck to collect regular or specific waste types and uses artificial intelligence to give waste workers tools to track their collections and productivity. |
| Kudoti | 2019 | India | Their platform works to track and trace waste materials both internally and across supply chain partners and provides real-time data to support decision-making. |
Plastic recycling
| Startup | Founded | Country | Details |
| Magorium | 2019 | Singapore | By marrying the industries of waste management and construction, Magorium created an inter-industry to convert plastic waste into an innovative new material – NEWBitumen. |
| Ricron Panels | 2009 | India | Ricron is a technology-driven company that converts multi-layer plastic waste into 100 per cent eco-friendly scalable substitutes of plywood. |
| PURA Loop | 2021 | Hong Kong | Builds solutions for the treatment and recovery of non-recyclable hazardous industrial sludge and mixed plastics, and the entire process requires no pre-processing or sorting of waste. |
| Rebricks | 2012 | Indonesia | Rebricks Indonesia recycles multi-layered plastic waste into building materials with an eco-friendly production process. |
Of all the categories, the category that currently has the least solutions or least scaleable solutions is the “Waste Reduction” category, especially when it includes the concept of reusing. Case in point, a study by Front Sustain highlighted that the vast majority of solutions (79.8 per cent) from waste reduction are pilots or startups, indicating that this area within the plastic waste industry still remains at its nascency.
Ironically, amongst the vast plethora of solutions, plastic reduction is the exact area that we should be focusing our resources on. A recent UNEP study confirmed that it is not recycling or carbon taxes but rather reusing that will emerge as the most promising solution.
“Reuse – as opposed to recycling – was identified as the most effective measure, and would cut plastic pollution by up to 30 per cent by 2040 with the introduction of things like refillable water bottles, packaging take-back schemes and ‘reverse vending machines’” – United Nations Environment Programme, May 2023.
Other solutions, such as recycling and diversifying from plastic as our most common material, are also key. The same UNEP study shed light on how recycling plastics can reduce plastic pollution by an additional 20 per cent by 2040, while replacement of plastic packaging and related materials can deliver an additional 17 per cent decrease.
Strategies from the public sector
To garner more inspiration for what the public sector can do in Asia, we can also look towards some solutions that have been offered by governments in other regions.
Also Read: Climate conferences won’t save us: How to start taking action all year round (Part 1)
In European countries such as Germany, Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) for plastic bottles have been implemented with much success. DRS refers to adding a small deposit to the cost of a plastic bottle, which is refunded to consumers when they return the bottle for recycling. With the monetary incentive, consumers will be more inclined to change their habits, thus pushing forth a culture of recycling. This same idea can be implemented in Asian countries when we wish to also cultivate a culture of recycling instead of disposing.
Of course, this also means that the recycling infrastructures in the country must favour the easy formation of the habit — another aspect that the public sector can look towards improving.
Funding for corporates and startups to implement better waste management practices and technology is also another aspect that is hindering the rapid transformation in the Asian ecosystem. This is something that governments should prioritise, especially with the numerous positive spillover benefits to society in terms of increased hygiene when municipal waste management systems are improved.
In Asia, it is also worth mentioning that the informal sector plays a large role in the plastic waste industry. In fact, it contributes to 97 per cent of all PET collected for recycling in the nine cities studied in SEA, making it pertinent to include the informal sector in any solutions to increase recycling efforts.
By studying a case study in Suzhou, China and how they formalised their informal recycling system, researchers have suggested that governments of developing countries looking to integrate the informal recycling system with the following methods:
- Giving professional training to recycling practitioners and improving their recycling facilities.
- Giving the formal recycling channels a price advantage.
- Setting up information platforms.
- Optimising the layouts of recycling systems.
The role of consumers
However, having briefly discussed what the government can do, we must also look at the biggest stakeholders in the ecosystem – consumers.
Large-scale systemic change can only be achieved should consumers be willing to change their consumption habits. In order for large-scale policy and corporate changes to take place, consumers must take a real stance and pressure governments.
Voting with our wallets by consciously choosing more sustainable products, though minuscule at the individual level, can achieve serious influence on a collective scale. For instance, in 2019, after widespread climate protests, the UK parliament declared a symbolic climate change “emergency” on Wednesday.
Additionally, consumers should also be educated on not only the importance of recycling but also the ways in which they can contribute. For example, some countries like Japan have embraced the idea of multi-stream recycling, which is when consumers have already sorted their waste into specific categories such as plastics and glass, leading to more efficient recycling processes.
Also Read: How to navigate the investment opportunity in climate tech sector
The efficacy of the Japanese system can be seen in how around 85 per cent of all of the country’s plastic bottles are recycled, with the aim of reaching 100 per cent by 2030.
Role of accelerators
Finally, accelerator programmes also form a key solution to increasing recycling rates in a country. To better bridge the gap between supply and demand, accelerators can provide networking opportunities to allow for a mutually beneficial relationship to be forged between corporates looking for solutions for their pain points and startups who are aspiring to scale up their initiatives.
One such programme is HyperScale. As the inaugural waste-tech accelerator in the world, HyperScale has a hyper-focus on helping startups with waste solutions and corporates who wish to reduce or eliminate their waste in a sustainable manner.
With the programme, startups can access expert mentorship and guidance tailored to their unique business needs, connect with a powerful network of industry leaders, investors, and potential partners and accelerate their market expansion within Asia’s waste ecosystem.
HyperScale accepts applications from Seed to Series A startups working on innovative waste solutions in Electronics Waste, Plastics Waste, Food Waste, Textiles Waste, or Mixed Waste.
Conclusion
As economies develop, everyone has a part to play in working towards a world where plastic is produced on a need-to basis. In order to maximise the effectiveness of schemes, it is pertinent that governments, corporations and consumers work hand in hand. We look forward to innovative solutions that will help to solve the plastic problem.
At the same time, corporates and governments should be unwavering and show their commitment to creating policies that will support these causes. My final words are that you, as the consumer, decide the type of life you want to lead; a life of plastic or a life that’s fantastic. It starts with you.
This article is part of a three-part series adapted from the Plastics and Circularity Report under the HyperScale Waste-Tech Accelerator 2023 programme. For more information on the programme and how you can be a part of the inaugural Waste-Tech Accelerator problem in the world, find out more here: https://hyperx.global/hyperscale.
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