7. Measurement and recovery

There are lots of alternative ways for brands to support VPR.

But the we are highlighting here is when tie their impact funding to the plastic they use (some other altnernatives are mentioned in the next article - so read on!). This can be seen as a 'measure and recover' strategy.

Measure and recover is still a VPR contribution and goes towards the same cause and same projects: brands fund the collection and recovery of plastic waste.

The first step for a brand is the same: selecting an impact portfolio - i.e. choosing a project or mission to support.

The difference is that rePurpose Global’s bespoke ‘plastic footprint measurement’ tools are used to quickly and accurately calculate the plastic use of products and packaging. Rather than calculating a contribution based on revenue - plastic intensity combined with sales data is used as the basis for the quantity of plastic recovery.

Having analyzed plastic use, brands are provided with insights that can support their reduction strategies. In fact, rePurpose Global works with companies to review or create reduction strategies. We support brands to figure out a realistic, data-driven pathway to reduce plastic use and track progress. Funding plastic recovery without efforts to reduce plastic use means only addressing part of the issue, and it means a plastic action strategy is incomplete.

With measurement completed and reduction strategies in place, brands receive verified data to confirm the plastic recovery. Projects and data are audited by independent third parties twice per year so this data can be confidently communicated.

As with the Plastic Recovery Pledge Program there’s data and project information that can be used in marketing, communications, and ESG reporting. Certifications and communication toolkits are also available to help brands to make credible and trusted claims about action.

On top of rePurpose Global’s standard certifications, following this ‘measure and recover’ the ‘Plastic Neutral’ certification is also an option – or ‘Plastic Negative’ for brands that choose to fund the recovery of at least twice as much as they use.

Grove Collaborative, a US-based sustainable marketplace and retailer is Plastic Neutral with rePurpose Global. If a customer receives any plastic in your order, Grove funds the recovery of the  same amount of ocean-bound plastic (equivalent, by weight). Since 2020 Grove Collaborative has collected over 15 million pounds of plastic.

"Eliminating single-use plastic from the products we use everyday is critical to a sustainable future, but it is not entirely achievable today… Our focus is on progress, not perfection, and we are empowering customers to make an impact with every Grove purchase. We are proud of the incredible progress we’ve made with our customers and rePurpose Global.” said Grove Collaborative CEO, Jeff Yurcisin.