Plastics for Change India Foundation along with Kimberly-Clark India, launch ‘Project Ghar’, an initiative that aims to deliver sustainable housing facilities and livelihood opportunities to on-ground waste collectors in India, while tackling the plastic pollution issue.
As part of the project, a total of 30 metric tons of single-use and multi-layered plastic will be recycled to construct 15 houses in the Hubli-Dharwad region of Karnataka. After completion in an estimated period of 6 months, the initiative will be scaled to other regions of the state.
Non-recyclable plastic waste will be converted to sheets which will then be used as the building materials for these houses. Such houses are lighter and more durable than cement sheets or ply, can resist wind speeds of up to 120 km/hour, have no heating issues as associated with asbestos sheet counterparts and will further be durable for upto 30 years. Each house constructed as part of the scheme will also generate sustained livelihood opportunities for 30 waste pickers.
“In today’s rapidly evolving circular economy it is critical to implement innovative solutions to improve our collective environment footprint. Our partnership with Plastics for Change India Foundation for Project Ghar is one such initiative, which presents us with a unique opportunity towards delivering on our global sustainability vision and also makes a real difference in communities where we operate,” Kimberly-Clark India Managing Director Mainak Dhar said. In the partnership, channel partners like Ricron Panels will collect and convert the non-recyclable plastic waste into sheets that are used as the building material for these houses.
Kimberly-Clark, fulfilling its extended producer responsibility (EPR), plans to connect with stakeholders across the value chain – from waste collectors to recyclers and waste processors. Over the years, Kimberly-Clark has launched several such initiatives and partnerships to reduce the environmental footprint and make lives better through purpose-driven actions. Kimberly-Clark adds that the initiative is well in line with its sustainability goals, which in its own manufacturing process has been successful in diverting and recycling 96% of its manufacturing waste.