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This is the The First Mile headline of brings dignity to waste material reclamation the feature DIGITAL REPORT 2021
DIGITAL REPORT 2022
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THE FIRST MILE BRINGS DIGNITY TO WASTE MATERIAL RECLAMATION
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THE FIRST MILE
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THE FIRST MILE
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THE FIRST MILE WORKS WITH GLOBAL BRANDS TO SUPPORT FAIR WORKING PRACTICES AND ELIMINATE CHILD LABOUR FROM RAW MATERIALS SUPPLY
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First Mile is a private, nonprofit initiative formed of the partnership between Thread International and WORK. As such, Kelsey Halling - Head of Partnerships at The First Mile - and Vivien Luk - Executive Director of WORK - collaborate closely to enact meaningful change on projects in countries such as Haiti, as well as subsistence
communities in other parts of the world, chiefly Taiwan and Honduras. It focuses on finding and ameliorating human rights concerns within the raw material sourcing of supply chains, improving quality and volume of material collected and supplied to brands. They are expanding their work this year exploring the creation of new First Mile supply chains and launching programmes in of Example an image caption
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THE FIRST MILE
Kelsey Halling Head of Partnerships, The First Mile
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“ WE'RE HOPING TO EXPAND OUR WORK GLOBALLY, WHEREVER THE NEED IS GREATEST” KELSEY HALLING
HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS, THE FIRST MILE
Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, Ghana and some USA states. “We're hoping to expand our work globally, wherever the need is greatest,” says Halling. The brands that work with The First Mile in making their supply chain more sustainable include FMCG brands such as Heineken & Unilever, technology giants like Hewlett Packard, fashion brands like Puma and Ralph Lauren, and credit card companies such as CPI and US Bank. By supporting brands across these sectors, First Mile can have an influential, wide-ranging effect - from providing opportunities for plastic recycling to having a visible, long-term social impact, there's an abundance of paths to choose from. After all, many - if not quite all - businesses are in the market to increase their environmental sustainability credentials both in-house and within their supply chains.
KELSEY HALLING TITLE: HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS COMPANY: THE FIRST MILE INDUSTRY: RECYCLING
Kelsey joined the founding team of Thread in 2012. Thread (under B2B brand "First Mile") takes trash from communities and transforms it into consumer goods for global brands trying to find value in authenticity, transparency, and responsibility. Kelsey built the on-the-ground community impact programming for First Mile ®’s waste reclamation network in Haiti, which was then expanded to Honduras and Taiwan. In 2017, she took over the leadership of sales, expanding the portfolio of global brands utilising First Mile material in their products. Her expertise is in impact measurement, supply chain traceability, and recycled materials. She represents First Mile ® in the Ellen Macarthur Foundation Circular Economy 100 working group, Textile Exchange recycled polyester working group, and serves as an advisor to NextWave Plastics. In February 2015, Kelsey became the first woman to Run Across Haiti, as part of WORK’s inaugural event. She believes that recycling is magic and that the true climate change heroes are the entrepreneurs turning waste into a resource every day.
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EXECUTIVE BIO
LOCATION: UNITED STATES
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Second Wave® Payment Cards First Mile impact partner, CPI Card Group® features recovered ocean-bound plastic in the core of Second Wave® payment cards. CPI estimates that 33 tons of plastic have been diverted from entering oceans and waterways since Second Wave's launch in 2019.
The Contactless Indicator mark, consisting of four graduating arcs, is a trademark owned by and used with permission of EMVCo, LLC.
© 2021 CPI Card Group Inc. All rights reserved
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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
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THE FIRST MILE
“BY PARTNERING WITH US GLOBAL BRANDS KNOW THAT THEIR DOLLARS ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE PUT BEHIND THE COLLECTORS’ NETWORK” VIVIEN LUK
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WORK
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The First Mile in plastic reclamation
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“HAITI HAS NO WASTE INFRASTRUCTURE – EVERYTHING IS DUMPED IN LANDFILL, IN CANALS OR IN THE STREET OR INTO THE SEA. PEOPLE WILL PICK IT UP ONLY IF IT HAS A VALUE”
she explains. “Haiti has what their needs are, no waste infrastructure their assets, we found – everything is dumped families of about six, in landfill, in canals or with children some in the street or into four years behind in the sea. People will their schooling and pick it up only if it has dropping out of school a value. Oftentimes around the age of ten. in a place like Haiti The parents too tend to people actually live on have ceased education KELSEY HALLING those landfills because at the same kind of HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS, THE FIRST MILE it's affordable for age, so are unable to them, gets them away bring in more than a from violent neighbourhoods and selling subsistence income of maybe $30 a month. what they collect on the same spot brings They can't afford to send their kids to school, them some money. When we did our initial which is why we find those children working assessment to understand who they are, on landfills simply to put food on the table.” 12
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THE FIRST MILE
VIVIEN LUK TITLE: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMPANY: WORK INDUSTRY: HUMANITARIAN AID
Vivien joined WORK in 2012 as the organisation’s first Executive Director. She led its start-up phase and translated the vision into a block-by-block accompaniment model that’s scaled to affect several thousand of the Western Hemisphere’s poorest people. Under Vivien’s leadership, WORK became a founding member of the First Mile with sister company Thread. Vivien specialises in creating and implementing programming that translates to practical impact, aligning philanthropic and business strategy, and job preparation and placement. She is an industry leader on the effects of employment in the first mile of supply chains. Her background is in policy and non-profit governance, having previously managed the research agenda and grant-making for a coalition of over 350 non-profit organisation's dedicated to providing a unified voice for the nonprofit sector while at The Forbes Funds. When home in Los Angeles long enough to unpack, she is an avid runner and sought after speaker.
EXECUTIVE BIO
LOCATION: UNITED STATES
FIGHTING OCEAN PLASTIC AND CHILD LABOUR AT THE FIRST MILE WITH WORK Truittier, Haiti’s largest landfill is located in the community of Molea, a neighbourhood in Port-au-Prince where many of the families in its residence rely on waste collection as a primary source of income. These families often face the difficult choice of involving their children in this work to ensure the security and well-being of the family. While we believe strongly in supporting income opportunities driven by utilising waste as a resource, children working full-time in waste reclamation does not fall under our definition of dignified work. As a partner, WORK leads the efforts in providing services to the 300 Haitian children in the landfill with access to medical care, educational opportunities, safety workshops and supplies, and job training and placement in the future. Hewlett Packard has been actively reducing ocean-bound plastic in Haiti since 2016, when the company began partnering with the First Mile Coalition to convert plastic bottles into recycled material used in Original HP ink cartridges.
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“Our investments and partnerships in Haiti are a great example of the positive change that can happen when business and NGOs come together to support shared objectives, “ said Ellen Jackowski, Global Head of Sustainability Strategy and Innovation, HP. “We are keeping millions of plastic bottles from ever reaching our oceans, converting them into sustainable products, and creating new opportunities for local residents through job creation and education.”
THE FIRST MILE
“ VERY RARELY DO RECYCLERS UNDERSTAND WHAT LANDFILL COMMUNITIES LOOK LIKE, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE BUYING MATERIAL THAT IS BEING SOURCED FROM THOSE COMMUNITIES” KELSEY HALLING
HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS, THE FIRST MILE
With Hewlett Packard (HP), one of First Mile's biggest brand partners, a programme was initiated in 2016 to put an end to child labour at Haiti's largest landfill site near its capital Port-au-Prince. Since then other partners including fashion brand PUMA and CPI Card Group have joined in supporting
the work, with the result that already some 75% of children working there have returned to school and other learning opportunities, removing themselves from working in waste collection. Furthermore, access to medical care, health information and workshops, together with prevention programming, has led to a significant decrease in emergencies. “We believe in a holistic model of accompanying the whole family by ensuring that they have a safe roof over their heads and access to educational opportunities. Poverty in Haiti has multiple causes but a key remedy is dignified work, so we create a vibrant market for the supplies they're collecting on a dayto-day basis: so not only have our brand
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THE FIRST MILE
partners supported our social impact programming, but they have also allowed us to grow demand for the supplies that are being collected and increase their value as time goes on.” That, in turn, highlights the detrimental impact of child labour in supply chains to those brands yet to partner with The First Mile. They may not even be aware that it's there, warns Kelsey Halling. “This first mile of the supply chain is not covered in standard audits or standard certifications that cover recycled materials. Very rarely do recyclers understand what landfill communities look like, even though they are buying material that is being sourced from those communities, and so the
“THE INSIGHTS AND SOLUTIONS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO OFFER TO BRANDS ARE REALLY HELPFUL TO THEM” KELSEY HALLING
HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS, THE FIRST MILE
insights and solutions that we're able to offer to brands are really helpful to them. Instead of just saying they are not going to source from these places because these things are happening, we give them assurance that this material is being sourced in a thoughtful and dignified way. That is the real value that we're able to bring to our partners.” Most companies now are making serious commitments around the amount of recycled material they want to be using, by 2025, 2030 or even 2050, and recognising that if they're going to reach those goals they're going to be sourcing from new firstmilemade.com
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THE FIRST MILE places. This however is attended by risk, but that risk is minimised if they are partnering with First Mile. That the work towards eliminating exploitation and child labour has taken root so quickly is in itself impressive; that this should have been achieved during a pandemic is extraordinary. There were many hurdles to overcome, Vivien Luk says. “The market that has been set in place was heavily impacted over the last two years, everything has been affected, from the demand for raw material to its transportation. Our members' own upward supply chains backed up for a variety of reasons, which led to slower procurement patterns as well.” In Haiti vaccines are only now reaching the population, and this made it difficult for staff and collectors alike to work safely. “We did everything we could to help our collectors to stay home and safe at the most difficult times. We made sure everybody
had a mode of communication, so that if they are staying home they know what's going on outside, and they know when they can get back out again to collect so they weren't risking their lives, trying to get out there and put food on the table that day. It's sometimes very difficult for collectors and their families to find accurate information about Covid, so we regularly share information from credible sources like theMinistry of Health and WHO. School age children were supported so they could continue their education too.” Good for people, good for the planet For communities subsisting on landfill because it's their only way to stay alive, the money they can make is a higher priority than global warming - yet these are usually the very communities most impacted by rising sea levels, the loss of species they may rely on for food, and the frequency of extreme weather events. They are less
Behind the Collab | PUMA x FIRST MILE
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“ INCLUSIVENESS IS A CRUCIAL PRINCIPLE WE WANT EVERYONE TO TAKE AWAY AS THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AT THE FIRST MILE” VIVIEN LUK
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WORK
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THE FIRST MILE likely to follow the deliberations of COP26, but they, and the service they provide to the recycling industry, are important in solving the issues that are being discussed there. In the past, businesses have fallen into the trap of treating sustainability as solely a CSR issue, and have addressed it only because of the wish to tell a good story to their shareholders in the Annual Report. In short, they've resorted to greenwashing.. As for climate change, until recently, some were unsure whether, if it existed at all, really felt this was a compliance issue and waited for government regulations to catch up. Today change is being driven at the grass roots level, the employees and the supply chain, and at last being taken seriously at board level. “Though the work we do is clearly human-centred and focused, Halling emphasises, “ it also drives business performance. Investing in the human rights of raw materials collectors in the first mile means greater quantity and higher quality of recycled material for our brands. I think we're getting to a point where this isn't just a nice-tohave, but a part of core business strategy.” To this Vivien Luk gives passionate endorsement. “They are all sitting at COP26 and trying to come up with solutions. These individuals are already on the ground, solving the problem in the real world. Either we get behind them and support them and their work, making it secure and dignified or we continue to spend millions and trillions of dollars on solutions that are not going to yield the outcomes that these global brands, are trying to reach. By partnering with us they know that their dollars are always going to be put behind the collectors network.” Technology at ground level The ability to communicate quickly, easily and globally has made a big difference to the effectiveness of the impact team and managers at First Mile, but technology is 20
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making things a lot easier for the collectors too, particularly in the rapid growth of mobile money transactions, that enable faster, secure payment by the recycling centre owners to the families that collect the material, allowing First Mile to make relief payments during the pandemic. It is a necessary step to making informal waste collectors become entrepreneurs. But in this context technology can be a two-edged sword. “ I do think that there is often almost too much faith put in technology as a traceability or solutions-oriented tool,” says Halling, “especially in supply chain management at this level. When people are picking up plastic waste and earning $3 a day, it is going to require some incentive for them to share their personal data. I would like to see the technology tools that do exist out there, do more than point out problems or issues in the supply chain and do more to actually drive solutions. We see a disconnect there with many of the tools and platforms that are available.”
“INVESTING IN THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF RAW MATERIALS COLLECTORS IN THE FIRST MILE MEANS GREATER QUANTITY AND HIGHER QUALITY OF RECYCLED MATERIAL FOR OUR BRANDS” KELSEY HALLING
HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS, THE FIRST MILE
It's a matter of balance, they insist. Technology developed for the supply chain aims to make it efficient, and that's an aim both Kelsey Halling and Vivien Luk support, so long as the process is inclusive of waste collectors and allows them to share their expertise. It may be that one day waste collection will evolve to a point where the informal collectors of Haiti, Taiwan, Honduras and elsewhere are no longer
needed, and that is a result The First Mile would be happy with, as long as enough has been done to ensure they have been part of that evolution. “Inclusiveness is a crucial principle we want everyone to take away as they're thinking about technology at the first mile.”
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