A platform lets brands minimise their plastic footprint

The tech platform connects brands whose plastic products may end up in the ocean with local plastic collection schemes

Spotted: The statistics around ocean plastic are shocking. At least 14 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the ocean every year, and plastic accounts for 80 per cent of all marine debris. Current waste management schemes cannot keep up, and, with 270 million tonnes of plastic produced each year, many of the world’s leading retail brands are contributing to the problem. German startup CleanHub is taking a novel approach to the problem by connecting brands to their ‘plastic footprint’ – providing them with opportunities to minimise and mitigate the impact of their plastic products.

CleanHub’s platform connects purchases of brands’ products with large-scale collection schemes in coastal areas. For every purchase from a brand partner, CleanHub will collect a set target of plastic before it reaches the ocean. The collected non-recyclable plastics are then converted into renewable fuel.

Using technology to connect people, CleanHub hopes to build a community of responsible brands committed to tackling the issue of plastic waste. The company already has over 100 brands on its books and its website claims that the scheme has already enabled the recovery of 1,223,281 kilogrammes of plastic waste.

The CleanHub partner brands making the biggest contribution are German spice giant Fuchs Gewürze, and Flash Coffee – one of Asia’s fastest growing tech-enabled coffee chains. Through local collection partners, CleanHub has established collection hubs in high-impact locations in India and Indonesia.

Other innovations spotted by Springwise that tackle ocean plastic include giant floating barriers tackling the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a computer mouse recycling programme, and an automatic beach cleaner that finds hidden plastic waste.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead