About Plastic Bank
Plastic Bank is a social fintech with a global bottle deposit program that helps end poverty and stops plastic pollution.
Our missions: Gathering to end poverty
When put in action, Plastic Bank’s mission:
Regenerates the environment by gathering plastic
Helps communities pave their paths out of poverty by exchanging it for money
Empowers businesses to create impact and grow with the purpose economy
Our story
The story of Plastic Bank began on May 9, 2013, when our Founder and CEO, David Katz, envisioned a world where discarded plastic could drive positive change.
David understood that most plastic waste leaking into our environment comes from areas of poverty. To solve pollution, he had to look upstream and help end poverty. He started by launching the first Plastic Bank branch in Haiti. What began as a bold idea is now a reality that empowers underserved communities across Indonesia, the Philippines, Brazil, Egypt, Thailand, and Cameroon to transform plastic waste into currency, providing income and social benefits.
“I think the real gift of that day was the realization that I didn’t need to create Plastic Bank. I needed to become the person who could. It was really a spiritual day of awakening for me. There was a still, quiet voice, unattached to outcome and meaning. It was a space that said: You can become the person who makes a change in the world.”
– David Katz, on the moment he conceived Plastic Bank.
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Our global impact
We’re solving poverty and plastic pollution with one transformative idea: plastic as money.
Learn our origins from our founder David Katz at the TED event in 2018
Progressive people and businesses purchase memberships to:
- fund plastic collection
- help clean the environment
- support communities
Collection community members gather and exchange plastic for:
- increased income
- zero-interest loans
- education
- social benefits
Impact is traceable:
- Collections and exchanges are verified through our proprietary blockchain-secured platform
- Memberships get access to authentic stories from collection communities
Funding collection helps:
- provide raw material for creating recycled plastic feedstock
- substitute virgin with recycled plastic
- offset plastic consumption
- create a circular economy for plastic
Why are you called
Plastic Bank?
We reveal the true economic value of plastic, making it too valuable to be left in the environment. In doing so, we’ve created a system for plastic exchange similar to any other currency exchange. Our PlasticBank® app uses fintech and blockchain technology to securely execute plastic transactions. The app’s digital wallet is often the first savings account that our members own. For those reasons, we call ourselves Plastic Bank.
Is Plastic Bank a
non-profit?
We are a for-profit social fintech. We re-invest the majority of our profits into our collection benefits, development and maintenance of recycling infrastructure, and technology development for material traceability for a greater social, environmental, and economic impact.
Leading our mission
Founder & Chief
Executive Officer
David is a steward of the earth and a champion for the poor. Recognized as one of the world’s most compassionate entrepreneurs, David has received numerous awards, including the United Nations Lighthouse Award and the Ernst & Young Lifetime Achievement Award. His groundbreaking work has gained widespread media attention, featuring in major outlets like BBC, CNN, and Forbes, and he has made appearances on TED.com and various documentaries and reality shows.
Shaun Frankson
Co-Founder & Chief
Technology Officer
Shaun is a digital strategist and proudly empowers others to create a fulfilling life of purpose. He designed Plastic Bank’s blockchain-secured fintech platform, offering end-to-end supply chain traceability, universal income, financial inclusion, and life-enhancing advantages for the world’s poor. He earned recognition as an Ashoka Emerging Innovator and an IBM Champion. Additionally, alongside David Katz, he was honoured with the Sustainia Community Award at COP21 and the United Nations Momentum for Change Award at COP23. Shaun is a social good spokesman and performed a 2017 TEDx Talk on saving the planet through responsible consumerism. He has appeared in the award-winning documentary A Plastic Ocean, the reality TV show Dragons’ Den, numerous news interviews, and even seen on a Las Vegas billboard.
Gidget Velez
Chief Supply and
Countries Officer
Gidget is a seasoned Business Development Expert. Her experience spanning over three decades across international markets has given her a unique perspective on diverse industries and cultures. She has held C-level roles in companies such as Coca-Cola, Jim Beam, Publicis Groupe, and more, covering diverse markets such as the Philippines, Southeast Asia, Russia, and Micronesia. She is also a leadership mentor for international NGOs. As Chief Supply and Countries Officer, Gidget leads our supply chain operations and country teams, empowering key stakeholders to magnify the needed impact to end poverty and stop plastic pollution.
Antoine Delgrange
Chief Marketing Officer
Antoine is a passionate senior executive with a proven track record in growing brands, customers, and employee engagement. He is a creative strategist, brand storyteller, and team builder inspired by unleashing change in the world. He accumulated 25 years of experience leading multicultural teams, growing brands, and driving transformation in companies like Procter & Gamble, Danone, Coty, and Alcon, where he could understand firsthand how authentic human insights and a culture of agile cross-functional thinking can create long-term value. As Chief Marketing Officer at Plastic Bank, Antoine leads and nurtures our human-to-human movement that reveals value in waste, empowering changemakers to be a force for social and environmental good!
Roman Hingorani
Chief Financial Officer
Roman Hingorani is a Strategic CFO with extensive experience across industries such as Fortune 100 firms, private equity, and SaaS platforms. He combines deep accounting expertise (GAAP, IFRS) with solid FP&A, M&A, IPO preparation, and compliance skills. A global business leader with P&L oversight, Roman aligns financial strategies with business objectives to drive growth and transformation. He is known for managing board engagements and regulatory interactions, creating high-performance teams, and leading organizations from small teams to global operations. As CFO at Plastic Bank, he uses his financial leadership to stop plastic pollution while improving the lives of collection communities in vulnerable areas, driving both environmental impact and social change by empowering local economies.
Our partners
Progressive businesses and brands reduce their environmental footprint, promote a circular economy, and support collection communities.
Get involved with Plastic Bank
Professional Membership
Fund global plastic collection with your business and access tools to communicate the environmental and social impact it’s making.
Personal Membership
Empower collection communities to gather plastic materials and exchange it for money and access to social benefits.