The First Mile Report April 2022 | Page 7

KELSEY HALLING HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS , THE FIRST MILE

Brazil , Indonesia , Vietnam , Ghana and some USA states . “ We ' re hoping to expand our work globally , wherever the need is greatest ,” says Halling .

The brands that work with The First Mile in making their supply chain more sustainable include FMCG brands such as Heineken & Unilever , technology giants like Hewlett Packard , fashion brands like Puma and Ralph Lauren , and credit card companies such as CPI and US Bank . By supporting brands across these sectors , First Mile can have an influential , wide-ranging effect - from providing opportunities for plastic recycling to having a visible , long-term social impact , there ' s an abundance of paths to choose from . After all , many - if not quite all - businesses are in the market to increase their environmental sustainability credentials both in-house and within their supply chains .

KELSEY HALLING TITLE : HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS COMPANY : THE FIRST MILE INDUSTRY : RECYCLING LOCATION : UNITED STATES

Kelsey joined the founding team of Thread in 2012 . Thread ( under B2B brand " First

Mile ") takes trash from communities and transforms it into consumer goods for global brands trying to find value in authenticity , transparency , and responsibility . Kelsey built the on-the-ground community impact programming for First Mile ®’ s waste reclamation network in Haiti , which was then expanded to Honduras and Taiwan . In 2017 , she took over the leadership of sales , expanding the portfolio of global brands utilising First Mile material in their products . Her expertise is in impact measurement , supply chain traceability , and recycled materials . She represents First Mile ® in the Ellen Macarthur Foundation Circular Economy 100 working group , Textile Exchange recycled polyester working group , and serves as an advisor to NextWave Plastics . In February 2015 , Kelsey became the first woman to Run Across Haiti , as part of WORK ’ s inaugural event . She believes that recycling is magic and that the true climate change heroes are the entrepreneurs turning waste into a resource every day .