In the U.K., it is estimated that 5 million tonnes of plastic is used every year, nearly half of which is plastic and less than 45% of this plastic is recycled.
The plastic crisis is not domestic. Evidence of plastic pollution can be seen all over the world and has spread to the human food chain.
Sustainability is not a plastic only problem. Our most basic resources are running out, with water scarcity set to threaten more than 50% of the world’s population by 2050.
These impacts are and will continue to be heightened and catalysed in the Global South, where there is less funding and infrastructure in place to support the most affected communities and create long term solutions for these problems. Furthermore, many countries in the Global South are not primary contributors to our planets’ pollution, and yet these countries are often situated on the front line of the climate crisis, suffering climate shocks such as flooding, droughts and wildfires. Climate shocks have huge impacts on global supply chains, harshly effecting a country’s domestic growth.
Wellers Impact was formed in 2017 as a sister company to the law group year as a means to structure funds for innovations and entrepreneurs that aim to find a path forward for sustainable development.
What is Wellers Impact?
Wellers Impact is an impact investment specialist that aims to tackle some of the most prevalent issues that inhibit sustainable development.
Wellers Impact are passionate about using economics to transform lives and communities whilst generating risk adjusted, market rate returns for investors. We invest in SMEs across a variety of sectors, including real estate, plastics and waste management and independent manufacturing supply chains. Please take a look at the Wellers Impact website to find out more about our projects and sustainable approach to investing.
Example – Gearbox
Gearbox Europlacer is a technology joint venture between Wellers Impact, MachineANI and Europlacer. As a manufacturing service, Gearbox Europlacer Engineers are leveraging and creating African tech supply chains that are independent from China and Taiwan. Much of the technology they design and produce provide IoT solutions to many sectoral problems in Kenya, such as healthcare and agri-tech.
What is Water Unite?
Water Unite are an organisation that help retailers and brands contribute to problems within the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector and the plastics sector. Water Unite developed a micro-levy system where one cent of every bottle of water or other drinks product sold goes towards a fund to help solve these problems.
Co-op UK became the first company to join the Water Unite initiative, donating a penny per litre sold from all branded water products across its 2,600 stores in the U.K. to contribute to its initiative.
Example – Gjenge Makers
Gjenge Makers provide a circular economy solution to our huge waste management problem. Through recycling and processing waste plastic into lightweight, affordable and durable construction materials, Gjenge Makers are preventing plastic pollution and providing a useful service to the community.
What is Water Unite Impact?
Wellers Impact partnered with Water Unite to create the Water Unite Impact Fund. The fund uses microfinance models such as micro-levies in addition to blended finance in order to fund innovators in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), plastics, waste management and energy.
Example – Mr. Green Africa
Recycling pioneers, Mr. Green Africa (MGA) have created new plastics supply chains and inspired local circular economy entrepreneurship through their operations. MGA have set up collection points for plastic pickers and aggregators to bring plastic to in exchange for payment. The plastic is then transported to MGA’s facilities, where it is processed back into useful plastic and sold on to third parties such as Unilever.
To find out more about how to invest and help people and planet please contact Neil Sandy on 020 7481 2422 or email neil.sandy@wellerslawgroup.com.