• Milan: This partnership extends to offering various awareness educational programs and activities by the trained employees of Henkel Egypt and Plastic Bank.
  • Abd ElAleem: Today we celebrate a new milestone through our partnership with Henkel Egypt, keeping more than 10 million kilograms of plastic out of the sea.

CAIRO: Henkel Egypt and Plastic Bank held a joint press conference to celebrate their significant partnership milestone, preventing over 10 million kilograms of plastic from reaching Egypt’s seas –  the equivalent of more than 500 million plastic bottles.

As a key strategic partner of Plastic Bank, Henkel Egypt works to achieve integrated community development and environmental sustainability by adopting sound environmental practices. With its support, Plastic Bank empowers local entrepreneurs to establish collection branches in convenient locations, helps gather collection communities together, and stops plastic before it enters the ocean. Collected plastic exchanged at the branches offers additional income and life-improving benefits to community members that help them transcend poverty.

Given that plastic waste is currently causing a huge global issue that needs urgent action, the Egyptian government showed unwavering support to many initiatives that work to reduce plastic waste and promote circular economy practices in line with its sustainable development vision (Egypt 2030).

Carol Milan, President and Managing Director of Henkel Egypt, said during the press conference: “The partnership between Henkel Egypt and Plastic Bank is considered a trailblazing collaboration that has pioneered a breakthrough in society’s perception regarding plastic waste’s recycling operations. We are proud of our achievements and we are motivated to continue our joint plans to create a positive impact across Egypt. This partnership is not only limited to opening plastic collection branches, but it also extends to offering various awareness educational programs and activities by the trained employees from Henkel Egypt and Plastic Bank.”

She added: “The cooperation with Plastic Bank reflects our local and global commitment to applying the highest international standards for plastic waste management. Henkel is considered the first FMCG Company that promotes sustainable packaging solutions to reduce plastic pollution. Our goal is clear, we are aiming to mobilize the community to promote environmental awareness, economic empowerment of the less fortunate, women empowerment, as well as supporting Egypt’s Vision 2030 towards achieving a successful circular economy. We believe that preserving the environment and improving the living standards of the less fortunate is an integral part of Henkel’s global strategy.”

Meanwhile, Ahmed Abd ElAleem, Regional Head of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Plastic Bank, said: “We are extremely proud of today’s milestone. Our partnership with Henkel Egypt has resulted in stopping an equivalent of more than 10 million kilograms of plastic from reaching the seas. Through our partnership, we have inaugurated 29 plastic collection branches with a collection capacity of 5 million kilograms annually; in addition to providing additional income and life-improving benefits to 2,000 collection members.”  He added: “We have provided awareness and educational activities for our collection members and their families, as well as offered educational programs to the children of our members, teaching them about music, theater, and the importance of hygiene. We have also held training sessions for more than 100 people about health and safety at our office in Manshiyat Nasser and offered non-monetary incentives that include health and education insurance.”

The Egyptian government is always keen to support the efforts of the private sector and other social institutions in reducing plastic waste and promoting sustainability and circular economy practices. Thanks to this approach, many successful partnerships have been formed to combat this problem; one of which is the partnership between Henkel Egypt and Plastic Bank.

About Henkel Egypt

Henkel began its business operations in Egypt in 1992 and it is continuing to develop its business on a sustainable basis. Henkel Egypt is proud to have established a fruitful relationship with Egyptian consumers and the Egyptian government through its pioneering brands and the trust in both the Egyptian economy and Egyptian talents. Currently, Henkel Egypt employs more than 500 employees. In addition to more than three thousand indirect jobs. With the launch of the unified business unit "Henkel Consumer Products", the company gained more prominent presence and wide spread, especially in hair care, laundry and home care products in Egypt, where three of the company's brands (Persil, Pril and Palette) are considered the strongest in Egypt. Henkel prides itself as a leader in technology and is committed to technology transfer to the country and development of the Egyptian labor/youth through training and on-the-job development. Henkel is committed to operating sustainably in Egypt and is a responsible corporate citizen; it invests in the community and the environment it operates in as part of its global sustainability strategy and targets.

About Henkel

Henkel operates globally with a well-balanced and diversified portfolio. The company holds leading positions with its three business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations and technologies. Henkel Adhesive Technologies is the global leader in the adhesives market – across all industry segments worldwide. In its Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care businesses, Henkel holds leading positions in many markets and categories around the world. Founded in 1876, Henkel looks back on more than 140 years of success. In 2020, Henkel reported sales of more than 19 billion euros and adjusted operating profit of about 2.6 billion euros. Henkel employs about 53,000 people globally – a passionate and highly diverse team, united by a strong company culture, a common purpose to create sustainable value, and shared values. As a recognized leader in sustainability, Henkel holds top positions in many international indices and rankings. Henkel’s preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX. For more information, please visit www.henkel.com

About Plastic Bank

Plastic Bank envisions a wasteless world. We empower the Social Recycling movement that stops ocean plastic and helps alleviate poverty. Our collection communities exchange plastic waste as currency for income and life-improving benefits. Exchanges are recorded through our proprietary blockchain-secured platform, enabling traceable collection, secured income, and verified reporting. The collected material is processed into Social Plastic® feedstock for reuse in products and packaging.

PlasticBank® and Social Plastic® are trademarks of The Plastic Bank Recycling Corporation.

Learn more at plasticbank.com.