THE FIRST MILE
The human cost Developed countries tend to have established , professionally run waste collection facilities , usually with arrangements for recycling , whereas in the global south there may be little or no such infrastructure . But there ' s just as great a supply of waste material . “ The way recycled materials , and plastic specifically , get to recycling facilities in the first place is because individuals are sorting this material from the general waste stream and selling it to give them some income .”
This is an efficient business model for informal waste collectors , with a low barrier to entry , formalising the work they already do in sourcing recyclable materials . Oftentimes , this work leaves workers vulnerable to exploitation , takes place in hazardous locations , and requires child labour - forcing children to work rather than receive an education - all of which are issues that global brands don ' t want their supply chain to be associated with . “ If we can bring , safety and dignity to this work and recognise the critical service that informal waste collectors are providing , not only from the environmental standpoint of keeping this material from being burned , buried or reaching our oceans but also addressing the social impacts too , then our brands can tell a very different , holistic and powerful story .”
Halling works very closely with Vivien Luk . “ WORK ' s mission is to accompany families out of poverty through good dignified jobs ,”
“WORK ' S MISSION IS TO ACCOMPANY FAMILIES OUT OF POVERTY THROUGH GOOD DIGNIFIED JOBS ”
KELSEY HALLING HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS , THE FIRST MILE firstmilemade . com 9