Turning Trash into Treasure: The Precious Plastic Journey

The world is drowning in plastic waste—birch trees choking on debris, mountains of trash piling up, and oceans overwhelmed with bottles. We’ve all heard this story before. But at Precious Plastic, we’re not here to dwell on the problem. We’re here to show you how we’re building solutions to fix it.

A Decade of Optimism and Action

Ten years ago, a group of optimists—designers, not engineers—set out with a bold idea: we can tackle the plastic waste crisis. From humble beginnings, we’ve come a long way. We’ve created shredders, sheet presses, and molds that are small, affordable, and powerful enough to transform entire communities. These tools have empowered people in places with little to no infrastructure, from remote islands in Indonesia to the slopes of Mount Everest, where hikers leave behind plastic waste.

Our open-source knowledge has spread to over 56 countries, enabling thousands of workspaces to rescue plastic from landfills, beaches, and backyards. This plastic has been transformed into furniture, tools, art, and even building materials. Together, our global community of over 80,000 people has recycled more than 1,000 tons of plastic.

The Challenges of Keeping the Dream Alive

Building Precious Plastic hasn’t been easy. For years, we operated without a proper workspace or a stable business model. Our platform took far more time and money to develop than we ever imagined. By sharing everything open-source, we’ve empowered thousands of recyclers worldwide, but this approach left our organization without a steady income to sustain a long-term team.

Today, we’re at a critical juncture. With just a handful of people running this global network, we have only a couple of months left before our funds run dry. The question is: do we let this be the end of Precious Plastic, or do we give it one final push to see how far we can go?

A Vision for the Future: Precious Plastic Version 5

Imagine a world where hundreds of new recycling workspaces spring up in cities and towns globally. Picture recyclers earning a steady income, supported by tools and markets that sustain their work for years. Envision new machines and designs that make recycling easier than ever, tackling new types of plastic and researching natural materials that safely dissolve back into the earth. Imagine a global marketplace brimming with beautiful, useful products made entirely from recycled plastic.

This is our vision for Precious Plastic Version 5—a plan to reduce plastic waste worldwide. To make it a reality, we need to raise €2 million, a big goal for a nonprofit community like ours. We’ve divided this campaign into three phases, and we need your support to kick it off and build the momentum to secure major institutional funding.

Join Us in Building the Largest Recycling Community

Will you help us create the largest recycling community the world has ever seen? Your support can turn our vision into reality, transforming plastic waste into opportunities for communities everywhere. Join us, and let’s make Precious Plastic Version 5 a global movement for change.