Who Plastic Waste Really Affects (And Why We Start Local)

Plastic waste is not just a big global problem on the news. It lands on real counters, in real bins, every single day. So who does it actually affect? And why are we going after them first?

At Forma we think about two groups of people. The ones who make the waste, and the ones who buy what we make from it. Here is who they are.

Who does plastic waste affect most?

Start with local businesses. Cafes, shops, gyms and climbing walls all make a steady flow of clean plastic. Milk bottles. Bottle caps. Tubs. Every day, week in, week out.

Most of them want to do better with it. But there is no local, visible way to reuse it. It goes in a skip, a lorry takes it, and that is the last they see of it. They cannot tell their customers anything good about it, because they do not know.

Group one: the plastic suppliers

These are the cafes, shops, gyms and walls. We give them a simple way to hand over their clean plastic, and a good story to share with their customers.

We already know how to do this. We have collected retired rope from climbing walls for nearly two years, and we already collect plastic from local businesses. Building a supply network is the bit most people think is hard. We have done it.

The best bit? Businesses love the idea of their own waste coming back as something with their name on it. Coasters for their own cafe tables, made from their own milk bottles. That is a story that sells itself.

Group two: the buyers

These are people who want sustainable, local, handmade things with a real story. We know this group exists, because they have been buying our rope stuff.

We have sold at markets like Curated in the Square in Aberdeen, on our website, on Etsy and through a dozen stockists. That has led to repeat customers, bulk orders and wholesale interest, all built in under two years.

Our plastic coasters already sell alongside our recycled climbing rope belts and rope coasters.

Why plastic reaches more people than rope

Rope is brilliant, but it mostly speaks to climbers. Everyone uses plastic. Every home, every business. So plastic lets us reach a much wider crowd, and gives us a clear path to bigger orders.

Same model. Much bigger pile of waste.

Not a business? No bother. Have a look at what is available now instead.

Stay classy and remember,
Make Waste Useful.

George