Interview with: David Katz, Chief Executive Officer, Plastic Bank

1. Interview with: David Katz, Chief
Executive Officer, Plastic Bank
“Companies have come to realise that
their consumers are demanding a
change, and unless they play a role in
cleaning up the environment, they will
lose business,” says David Katz,
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of
Plastic Bank. He believes that using
Social Plastic®
, Plastic Bank’s innovative
recycled material, is a way for compa-
nies to engage their workforce, share-
holders and consumers.
Katz is a keynote speaker at the
marcus evans EuroPack Summit
2018, taking place in Switzerland, 3 – 4
September.
What is Plastic Bank?
Plastic Bank is a global network of micro
recycling markets that empowers
disadvantaged communities to tran-
scend poverty by cleaning the environ-
ment. It is an ecosystem that provides
an opportunity for the world to collect
and trade plastic waste as a cur-
rency. By enabling the exchange of
plastic for money, items or blockchain-
secured digital tokens, our unique
model strengthens recycling ecosys-
tems, stops the flow of plastic into the
oceans, and helps underprivileged
communities.
We are now the largest chain of stores
for the impoverished, where everything
can be purchased using plastic garbage.
This includes school tuition, cell phone
minutes, WiFi access, medical insur-
ance, cooking oil, fortified milk, fuel,
and a variety of other necessities.
People who cannot afford these items
no longer see plastic as garbage. They
look at it as an opportunity to end
poverty in their family. There has been
a paradigm shift in their minds: plastic
is now too valuable to end up in land-
fills, incinerators, or waterways.
What do packaging directors and
manufacturers need to know about
monetising plastic waste? What is
the business value of using Social
Plastic®
in product packaging?
Companies have come to realise that
their consumers are demanding a
change, and unless they play a role in
cleaning up the environment, they will
lose business. This gives consumers a
way to participate in the change that
they want to see. For the company, it is
a brand activation opportunity; a chance
to exhibit authenticity to the world. It is
a good way to engage the workforce,
shareholders and consumers. A way to
ensure the supply of the materials they
need is uninterrupted. What a threat it
would be to a major bottler if people
turned completely against plastic, for
example. They could no longer sell their
products. Companies must be seen as
part of this change.
Look at what is happening today with
the drive away from straws and single-
use plastic. It is originating from the
consumer and companies have to follow
their customers’ demands.
What is possible with this “bitcoin
for the earth” as you say it?
We use a blockchain-based banking
system which provides a safe way to
transfer value. Especially in developing
nations with high poverty rates, protec-
tion against fraud and corruption in any
industry is paramount to its sustainabil-
ity. Blockchain provides an answer to
this dilemma by decentralising mone-
tary power.
In addition, the digitalisation of currency
helps to globalise our ecosystem. You
can take plastic waste to be weighed at
one centre and have the value depos-
ited into any account. Someone in
Germany can transfer digital value into
the solar lamp of an impoverished
family in Haiti.
Then, people can track the material
within the supply chain, see where it is
coming from, which lives were changed,
how many children went to school as a
result, and so on. They can see where
the value is distributed and be able to
connect with their consumers and
shareholders who want to see that they
are positively affecting people’s lives.
It is a good
way to engage
the workforce,
shareholders
and consumers
How Companies Can Engage Customers by
Using Social Plastic in Product Packaging

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Please note that the Summit is a
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limited.
About the EuroPack Summit 2018
The EuroPack Summit is a premium forum bringing elite buyers and sellers
together. The Summit offers FMCG packaging executives and suppliers and solution
providers an intimate environment for a focused discussion on how to win the battle
for market and mind share through packaging. Taking place at Fairmont Le
Montreux Palace, Montreux, Switzerland, 3 – 4 September, the Summit includes
case studies and presentations on advancing sustainability and shifting towards a
circular economy, orchestrating compliance and integrating new legislation, the role
of packaging in the digital world, as well as design and supply chain innovations.
www.europacksummit.com
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