Supporting a plastic-free Aotearoa
Here’s a scary fact: every bit of plastic ever created still exists today. It’s estimated that around 12.7 million tonnes of plastic enters the ocean every year. In Aotearoa alone, approximately 252,000 tonnes of plastic waste is disposed of in landfills, with half of all plastic being created for single-use applications, used just once before being disposed of, and only 28% of waste being recycled.
We know this kind of consumption can’t continue, which is why Plastic Free July Aotearoa is a necessary initiative to inspire more people to ditch single-use plastic, reduce their household waste and recycling, and become a part of the solution to plastic pollution.
A second life for plastic waste
While we’ve taken the pledge here at Brightly to do our bit in reducing plastic waste, we also wanted to use the momentum of Plastic Free July to shine a light on a local organisation that’s going even further to play their part in solving Aotearoa’s plastic pollution problem.
Critical. is a South Auckland-based social enterprise that has pioneered an innovative way to take plastic waste and transform it into beautiful, functional objects, furniture and homewares.
Plastic Free July was set to be a big month for Critical. having just moved into their new, purpose-built factory in Papatoetoe. Unlike anything else in New Zealand or Australia, this ‘future green’ factory is where founders Rui Peng and Adam Ransfield had established a space where their proprietary upcycling process and technology could reimagine up to 153 tonnes of hard-to-recycle plastic waste, like bags, straws and packing, into items that could last a lifetime, before being recycled again. The plastic is sourced from corporate partnerships, and from recyclers who sort the plastic. Critical. are even able to recycle single-use face masks.
But on the 19th of June, a day after their factory was set up and ready to go live on large-scale manufacturing, a tornado ripped a hole through their factory roof, damaging essential tools, machinery and all the equipment that would have been used to support their mission of reducing plastic waste.
Unfortunately, they were still in the process of negotiating insurance terms and have not been able to cover the full extent of the damage caused. Critical. have now turned to crowdfunding to help rebuild their factory, with a goal of hitting $65,000.
Having already invested everything they had into getting the factory set up, while also juggling day jobs, it’s a huge setback for Rui and Adam, who say that it could be up to a four-month wait for the building and roof to be repaired, rewired and reconnected. The funds raised would help cover the cost of the damage, as well as allow the start-up to weather the lost months of operation.
It’s a blow not only to their sustainability (kaitiakitanga) goals, but also to their aim of creating meaningful local employment opportunities. With manaakitanga as a guiding ideology for their community-centered enterprise, Critical. are focused on not only using products to regenerate the planet, but using profits to create work pathways for those who may otherwise not have access to opportunities.
Spread the word
We love what Critical. stand for, so, as part of our efforts around Plastic Free July, we’d also love to help spread the word about their work, and support them in getting back on their feet so they can create the impact they’ve set out to achieve for the benefit of all.
If you’re in a position to offer a koha towards this cause, this link has more information about Critical.’s story, and where these funds will be headed: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/critical You can also follow their journey and learn more about their impact on Facebook or Instagram.