Concept Loop

Reimagining Plastic Waste

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CleQc_4djw

The issue of plastic pollution is a symptom of a much larger social issue of the take-make-waste system. Concept Loop aims to help businesses move towards circularity in a sustainable way. Our initiative is to make responsible and sustainable consumption possible by recycling the low value plastic waste into building materials and products. By redirecting waste from landfills and waterways, it seeks to move from a linear economy toward a responsible, circular one.
Our building material solution converts low value plastic waste into "EcoGrete™" - a plastic aggregate that can be added into any non-structural concrete product like pavers, blocks, tiles, wall panels with similar properties like traditional products. This makes all of our products Low Carbon and Plastic Offsetting in a financially sustainable and market accepted manner.
The pavers we manufacture have about 10-20% plastic waste content in them depending on the requirement, which we offset with natural aggregate which is depleting at a high rate. Here we are utilizing plastic that has no second life and is hardly picked up or utilized elsewhere.
The sheets are also made from the same low value plastic waste and are better than the traditional alternatives. These can be used outdoors, as these are waterproof, rot proof and termite proof. We make these products with our proprietary technology. And we match and further improve their unit economics with existing products in the market to make these within the reach of the masses.
Our products are commercialized and have been deployed with several of our corporate and private customers including Shell Pakistan Petrol Station, Mondelez Factory, Candyland Head Office, Mari Gas Dharki among other places for the past few months. For the project we did with Shell, our pavers were rigorously tested as per the international ASTM Standards with the help of engineers at Meinhardt. So far, we have recovered more than 90 tonnes of low value plastic waste, and our target is to redirect 274 tonnes of low value plastic waste equivalent to recovering 182 million wrappers/packaging waste and offsetting 949 tonnes of carbon emissions from our environment by the end of this year.

Our solution aims to maximize the positive impact of both the built and unbuilt environments and those inhabiting them by reducing plastic waste leaking into the environment. Our solution is serving the wider community of Karachi that has a population between 20-30 million and generates daily waste of 16,500 tons. Communities that live within close proximities where this waste is burnt or openly dumped, affecting the environment and the health conditions of those people. This waste also leeches into our soil and groundwater affecting other organisms and species.
We also aim to have Gender Equality and Social Inclusion policies as part of its anchoring values. Our current founding team is 25% led by women and we aim to increase women's workforce in both leadership positions and the overall workforce as we continue to grow. We want to encourage women and other minority groups within the workforce to join us, to provide them equal and dignified opportunities to work, and a platform to use and improve their skill.
Lastly, we will be serving the kabadiwalas who would be given formal employment for collecting this waste, creating an economic value for them and us. We collect plastic waste that no one else does. This not only creates jobs but also prevents the harmful burning of low-value plastic waste. Conventional waste management methods do not address this issue, so we provide support. We aim to set an example out in the manufacturing sector on how to work in an inclusive manner.

Pakistan

2021-2023

#Sustainability #Circularity #Innovation

https://www.conceptloop.net/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/concept-loop-pvt-ltd/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/concept.loop/

Pakistan produces more than 3.3 million tons of plastic waste annually. Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and our base of operations, ranks first in waste generation. Pakistan’s plastic crisis can be attributed to poor government infrastructure for waste management, whereby the majority of the low value waste does not reach final disposal sites. Instead, it is either burned and/or dumped on roads, vacant lots, city drains, and sewers, threatening the health and wellbeing of the general population.
This is mostly low value waste that has no existing supply chain. The kabadiwalas (scavengers) also currently do not pick this waste as it is hard to recycle and has low demand. People who do utilize this, use it as toxic fuel or burn it for heat which is very harmful and again contributes to a lot of health issues. We are giving the low value plastic waste a second life, extending its life from 5 minutes to 50 years. And secondly, we are offsetting the aggregate/natural materials which are degrading at a very high rate within our local context.
Our solution helps and aid preserving the cultural and industrial fabric of our region by protecting its environment by the harmful effects of plastic pollution. We are working to save our environment both at land and at sea and know that the impact of our solution goes beyond just the social, economic and environmental factors. We constantly educate ourselves and others on this issue and create awareness amongst people for all ages and backgrounds. We empower people to bring a change and contribute at every big or small level, cause in the end this planet is all of ours to protect.

Our project will improve Karachi’s water quality as we redirect plastic waste from its groundwater systems, drains, sewers, canal waters, streams, and the Arabian Sea. By redirecting plastic waste that could end up in the city’s water bodies, we will reduce marine pollution from land-based activities. By stopping dumping into the ground, we shall be addressing the problems of plastic waste accumulation into landfills. The project aims to create a cycle that benefits not only humans but also the entire ecosystem. It considers the environmental, social, and economic aspects of plastic recycling and how they can enhance the well-being of all living beings part of both the built and unbuilt.

We are partnering with corporations that have substantial waste streams and help them use their plastic waste in a circular way of value addition. With our team’s background in architecture and construction, we identified a rising need for market-competitive local building materials and a heightened focus on green materials. The overarching goal and the outcome of our solution implemented will be that the construction industry will have a viable, local and sustainable product line for carbon negative building materials. Houses, offices and other buildings will be made by using these projects and will help the construction sector achieve its environmental goals. The output of the solution shall be plastic-concrete hybrid pavers, different kinds of building sheets and partitioning boards that will be made from using low value plastic waste processed locally using our proprietary technology. The process will include, setting up scalable units closer to regions that are major producers of low value plastic waste and partnering with businesses looking for a solution for such plastics. Our solution also involves directly working with the informal kabadiwalas system, which consists of people from low-income households collecting waste material and selling it to generate income. By mapping their network, we will connect with the players involved and offer them a reasonable price for their raw materials and ensure a reliable and steady supply for our products. We also plan to create some formal channels of tracking and collecting sorted waste from them, eventually working towards making the current system a lot more efficient.