India has 1.5 million waste pickers who make a living by picking up and recycling discarded plastics. In the last year they have suffered a 60% drop in the price they receive for the plastic they collect. The value of recycled plastic has plummeted.

After six consecutive airplane meals, I arrived at the Bangalore International Airport. I had big plans for this trip to India.165 contributors from 26 different countries had backed the Plastics For Change Indiegogo campaign to help implement an ethical sourcing platform for the plastics supply chain.

The organization has developed a fair trade transaction platform for the plastic recycling supply chain in developing countries which ensures waste picker recyclers receive a fair monetary value for the discarded plastic they collect.

Now I'm motivated to help companies which from using virgin plastic to recycled plastic. In addition to the environmental benefits, increasing the demand for recycled plastic also helps increase the income received by waste pickers.

Increasing recycling rates in developing countries should be a priority of addressing climate change. According to recycling expert Dr Mike Biddle, for every ton of virgin plastic that is replaced with recycled plastic, it saves 2-3-tons of Co2. Most developing countries have dismal recycling rates of between 2-8%.

In a recent paper published in Science, Dr. Jenna Jambeck and her team determined that the vast majority of plastic entering the oceans is coming from South East Asian countries where there increasing population is outgrowing the current waste management infrastructure.

Millions of people in developing countries rely on collecting waste plastics as their primary source of income. Yet these recyclers only receive 5% of the industry profits. The low value of plastic leads to irresponsible disposal and environmental contamination.