Impact Report 2013
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"Poverty is an epidemic. Ending it is possible by the time I have grandchildren. The cure is good, dignified jobs."
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In 1980, about 70 percent of the global population found themselves struggling to exist. In 2014, almost half of our planet, 43 percent, struggles under the type of extreme poverty we see in our work each day in Haiti. Poverty is a disease. Today, it affects nearly 3 billion people, making it roughly 90 times the size of HIV, its next closest viral neighbor (today HIV affects 34 million globally, still mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa). Like HIV, poverty is most often degenerative, fatal, and brings with it a host of stigma that renders those affected outcasts in their communities. Poverty is not an evolutionary accident or a mutation, but the result of historically given and economically driven forces. That we have held up and perpetuated this infrastructure proves that it is destructible and binds us to dismantling it. When it comes to the treatment of poverty as a corrigible disease however, there is still a remarkable silence from the global community. A search of the largest NGOs in America indicates that when it comes to the poor, generosity is directed almost exclusively towards poverty's symptoms; hunger and homelessness chief among them. Well meaning as we are, certainly: I'm afraid this approach is the equivalent of ordering hospice care for a Stage One cancer patient. We are so busy palliating those stricken by the disease, we have not stopped to consider that we might yet end it. At Thread, we believe ending poverty isn't a project for 100 or 200 years from now, but something society can accomplish before we have grandchildren of our own. So what's it going to take? We're fortunate to spend a great deal of time with the poor. The partnership that Thread processes it's plastic through is called Ramase Lajan (founded by Bob Goodwin at Executives Without Borders). We've spent days upon days talking with the over 1600 people who have access to income opportunities through this program, as well as with friends at Haiti Recycling where our plastic is washed and ground, and with dozens of Haitians we consider family in the slums of Cite Soleil and Menelas, Port-au-Prince. It's been through conversations with the poor that we've begun to understand that solutions present themselves when we allow ourselves to walk a mile in the shoes of the people we serve. It is in this solidarity that we realize the things that unite us are much more abundant than the things that divide us, and the difference between rich and poor, or first world and third world, are actually limited only to the zeroes in our bank accounts. There is only one world, there are only people, and we've learned that we all want the same things: a decent job and a better life for our children than we ourselves had. We hope you enjoy what follows here as an account of our impact so far. Here's to new friendships, new fabric, and creating as much medicine as possible in 2014.
Ian Rosenberger Founder and CEO
Thread transforms trash in the poorest countries into dignified jobs and useful stuff people love.
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collect + recycle + transform one billion pounds of trash into useful stuff people love by 2032
You may have heard the term triple bottom line. This is how we built Thread - a social business that focuses holistically on people, planet, and profit. All three are equally important to our decision making and growth.
In 2013, Thread officially became a Certified B Corporation! B Corps meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, legally expand their corporate responsibilities to include consideration of stakeholder interests, and build collective voice through the power of the unifying B Corporation brand. Becoming a B Corp gives Thread a chance to share best (and worst) practices, collaborate on new products, and develop relationships with a community of over 910 other B Corps across 29 countries in 60 industries.
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plastic waste generated in Port-au-Prince per month
unemployment rate in Haiti Central Intellegance Agency
Independent Waste Audit
www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html
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over 1,300 1. Over 1,300haitians Haitiansparticipating participate inin the Ramase Lajan program, the Ramase Lajan program (founded founded by executives by Executives WithoutWithout Borders), Borders, collect plastic collect plastic, and earning earn cash forcash theirforeffort. their effort.
haitian and purchases, operated haiti 4. Haitiowned Recycling bales Recycling purchases, and and stores the bottlesbales in preparation stores the before they for bottles the production line. run through the production line.
number of Haitians that live on $1.25 a day or less Office of the Secretary-General’s Special Advisor
http://www.lessonsfromhaiti.org/relief-and-recovery/key-statistics/
The process begins in Haiti...
is sold collectors 26 2.plastic Collectors sellbyplastic to 26to Ramase Ramase Lajan collection centers Lajan collection centers across country. each center across thethe country. Sponsored by aisnonsponsored by a non profit and run profit, each center is and owned and by a haitian entrepreneur. operated by Haitians.
the5.production line washes and and The production line washes shreds the bottles into a raw shreds the bottles into a raw materialmaterial called 'flake' called 'flake.'
Ramase Lajan center owners andand 3. Ramase Lajan center owners manage transport individual collectors transport individual collectors and sell of the sorted recyclables forowned sale atand sorted recyclables at Haitian haiti Recycling's processing facility in operated Haiti Recycling in Port-auport-au-1prince. Prince.
the resulting flakeflake is packaged intointo 6. The resulting is packaged large large 'super sacks' and sent to the 'super sacks' and sent to united States. the United States.
* Thread's supply chain is the result of great partnerships including the Ramase Lajan program, founded by Executives Without Borders and including Haiti Recycling. See the 'Partners' section for more information.
...and continues in the USA a. 7. flake goes toproduction a u.S. U.S.-based based factory where it is the facilities melt and extrude melted and extruded into it flake into fiber and weave fiber, andinto then woven fabric. into fabric.
b. is sold sold to toPowered powered 8. fabric Fabric is by cut by thread ThreadTMcustomers customersfor to be and sewsewn into ainto final product. cut and consumer products.
pounds of Haitian waste processed into a valuable raw material and exported to U.S.
people provided with income or employment opportunities in Haiti*
a. powered byby thread 9. Powered ThreadTM customers aregain ableaccess to utilize partners also to a TM sustainably and socially Thread's Ground to Good responsible fabrictracks for their platform, which & products. shares the impact with customers.
b. thread fabric is utilized 10. Bags, garments or in final goods, such asPowered bags. By accessories ThreadTM are more than a good - they represent good.
Haitians benefiting from job training and professional development
* Includes supplemental income earned by individual collectors and full or part-time employment
miles eliminated from typical supply chain compared to Asian sourcing or manufacturing per trip
fewer kg of CO2 emissions released due to transportation compared to Asian sourcing
revenue generated by Haitian businesses
Thread’s success and impact are a direct result of partnerships and the organizations we do business with. As part of our effort to create completely transparent and sustainable supply chains, we partner with organizations whose missions and core values resonate with our own. Thread believes strongly in the power of Private/Non-profit partnerships, as well as strengthening and improving existing Haitian businesses. Through these partnerships, we’ve expanded our collection efforts, improved the operations of local businesses, and added value throughout our supply chains.
Executives Without Borders serves as the bridge between those in the non-profit world and those in the business world, making it easier for everyone to work together and drive better results for those who need them most. ExecWB is the founder of the program Ramase Lajan, which is responsible for the vast majority of the collection of plastic in Thread’s supply chain. The phrase Ramase Lajan means “Picking Up Money” in Haitian Kreyol. This program collects the plastic bottles clogging the canals, jugs overflowing the dumpsters, and the 1,500 tons of new plastics imported into Haiti every month. A collaboration between non-profits and businesses, Ramase Lajan allows us to solve problems in Haiti with a dual approach - providing jobs and value, while supporting the neighborhoods in which we work. Thread has partnered with Haiti Recycling in the production of PET plastic flake. Haiti Recycling believes in empowering communities by stimulating the rise of entrepreneurship through the recovery of recyclable materials. Haiti Recycling is a Haitian family-owned business started in 1976. Moop specializes in handmade bags for men, women and kids. They design and manufacture each bag start to finish in their Pittsburgh studio. They provide mindful labor behind every Moop bag and are firm believers in concise, durable, well crafted design. In 2013, Moop became Thread’s first “Powered By” customer, utilizing our sustainably sourced fabric in the construction of “The Backpack.”
Ramase Lajan centers have collected over 70 Million bottles since the program started in 2011.
Ramase Lajan Collection Center at Delmas 31 Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
In addition to supporting communities through solvent business, Thread believes strongly in volunteerism both at home and abroad. We are proud to be involved in the A Billion + Change campaign. Founded by a group including the Taproot Foundation and the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation in 2008, the campaign “mobilizes billions of dollars of pro bono and skills-based service to address core issues communities face across the country and around the world.� On top of individual interests and volunteerism, members of Thread donated over 1,600 volunteer hours and additional resources as a team to the following groups and causes in Haiti and in the U.S.:
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Team Tassy Team Tassy prepares and places the poor into good, dignified jobs, including jobs at Thread, so that they can pull themselves out of poverty forever. In 2013, Thread employees spent over 1,600 volunteer hours providing expertise in strategic and business planning, marketing, events planning, and services to Team Tassy families in Haiti. As Thread continues to grow in Haiti, Team Tassy will supply a qualified and trained workforce for the various types of jobs that will become available.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh In 2013, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh implemented a new initiative, STARTup SOMETHING, connecting local Pittsburgh start ups with the youth they serve. The initiative introduces youth to emerging career opportunities in technology and entrepreneurship. Thread is honored to have been part of this educational initiative, leading a weekend workshop in October 2013 focusing on recycling and social business practices.
We believe strongly that what you measure is what you care about. To ensure we are having the most positive impact we can, we are committed to measuring our effect across social, environmental, and economic spectrums. Our metrics are based on a number of accredited and globally accepted standards and procedures. We recognize that standards and evaluation are constantly evolving fields and anticipate shifting our methodology as necessary to best serve our employees, customers, partners, and the communities we work in. Thread’s 2013 goals were influenced by the following guidelines: o
The Fair Labor Association Code of Conduct and Compliance Benchmarks
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Patagonia Social and Environmental Compliance Benchmark’s for Suppliers 2013
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The United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda
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The Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s Higg Index
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Thread's Materiality Matrix - a scorecard we customdeveloped to evaluate the 38 criteria most relevant to our business and the countries in which we work
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Job* creation in Haiti Goal: Support 135 indirect jobs. Actual: Supported 152 indirect jobs. *Full or Part-time employment, not including supplemental income earned by collection
Support Haitian businesses and entrepreneurs Goal: Support $500k USD in revenue for Haitians. Actual: Supported $164,931.10 USD in revenue for Haitians.
Increase income opportunities in Haiti Goal: Support 1,500 income opportunities for Haitians. Actual: Supported 1,530 income opportunities for Haitians.
Increase pounds of recyclables removed from waste stream, streets and canals Goal: Support collection of 2.4 million pounds of recyclable materials. Actual: Supported collection of 2,490,577.5 million pounds of recyclable materials. Waste processing Goal: Process 600,000 lbs of plastic trash into a valuable export. Actual: Processed 660,000 lbs of plastic trash into a valuable export.
Skills and knowledge transfer Goal: Support job training and professional development for at least 100 Haitians. Actual: Supported job training and professional development for 132 Haitians (Approximately 20% of Ramase Lajan center owners participated in a peer-mentoring program). Decrease green house gas emissions Goal: Decrease transit emissions in supply chain emissions by 50% when compared to typical plastics recycling supply chain. Actual: Decreased transit emissions by 80%. Thread's material transit is responsible for releasing 686kg of CO2e's for every trip from Haiti to the USA as compared to 3,289 kg of CO2e's in a typical plastics recycling supply chain, regularly including trips between Asia and the USA. Minimize work-place accidents Goal: Establish a culture committed to workplace safety and health at each level of our company's supply chain, with zero work place accidents. Actual: Three work-place injuries were reported in 2013.
Goal
Actual
From the moment a bottle is picked up in Haiti, until it is transformed into fabric and sewn into a final good, there are amazing men and women making this process happen. Here are a few stories of the people we are proud to work with from Ground to Good.™ In 2014, we will unveil our proprietary Powered By Thread ™ platform, which will track and share the individual stories of every product made with Thread fabric. Here are some of the stories we started tracking this year.
Ramase Lajan is an initiative founded by Executives Without Borders. Since the program's inception in 2011, the partnership has grown to include Thread, Haiti Recycling, CSS International Holdings, Samaritan's Purse, and more than 20 other nonprofit organizations operating across Haiti. Anyone is welcome to collect and bring recyclables to the 26 Ramase Lajan centers located across Haiti. Center staff weigh materials and pay collectors on a per pound basis for the recyclables they bring. The Ramase Lajan network is growing with centers strategically placed throughout Haiti.
Ramase Lajan collected 2,490,577.5 lbs of plastic in 2013.
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"Through Ramase Lajan, we are seeing more people trained in sanitation and taking active responsibility for the environment and their community's health." - Adam Wilchide, Samaritan's Purse
Mary Rose And Johnny Atilus
Plastic recycling now provides income opportunities for thousands of Haitians across the country. Some use plastic collection as a way to supplement their existing income, some have turned it into a full-time job, bringing in volumes that support their families. The majority of collectors who feed into Thread's supply chain bring their recyclables to Ramase Lajan centers. Some arrange for transport directly to Haiti Recycling in Port-au-Prince. Mary Rose, pictured with her granddaughter Naime and Executives Without Borders employee Johnny Atilus, is a collector who participates in the Ramase Lajan program. Mary Rose joined the Ramase Lajan network in October 2013, when a collection center sponsored by World Vision USA opened in her neighborhood of Croix-des-Bouquets. Mary Rose now brings recyclables to the center twice a week, and she uses the income she earns to help support her household and save for Naime's future school fees.
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Jean Jean-Claude
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Antonio Louis Marc
All Ramase Lajan centers are owned and operated by Haitian entrepreneurs. In addition to being leaders in their communities, these entrepreneurs are committed to improving the environment of their country and bringing opportunity to their neighbors.
Manique Laguerre Project Drouillard Macenat Charlemagne Wharf Jeremy Eliane Pierre Richard Wharf Soleil Antonio Louis Marc Tebo Pastor Loughins Canape Vert Gerome Woodelson Delmas 31 Price Dadji-Max Jean Delmas 71 Marc Andre Ledain “Babo� Legoane Etienne Mario Carrefour Duverne Joseph Yvan Leogane Wilfrid Port-Louis Martissant Guillaume Gregory Gressier Pastor Wilner Boucher Miragoane Claudette Dorevil Mirrebalais Etienne Jean Mizael Les Cayes Nadine Philippe Les Cayes Christianne Filsaime Cap Haitien Reuben Meister Cap Haitien Gustave Chery Ti Goave Radlyn Archelus Croix-des-Bouquets Karlyl Jean Baptiste Tabarre Ohlex Baptiste Lambi Martha Casseus Jacmel Gedene Antoine Louis Gonaives Jean Jean Claude Saint Marc
Macenat Charlemagne
Pastor Boucher Wilner
Joseph Yvan Duverne and Friend
Wilfrid Port-Louis
Manny lives in Cite Soleil, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the Western Hemisphere. In December of 2011, he was chosen as one of the Ramase Lajan program’s first center owners. Now his center is consistently one of the highest performing centers in the network bringing in more than 30,000 lbs of recyclables each month. Manny’s center employs 4 full-time and 2 part-time employees and provides regular income for at least 60 individual collectors. Manny also serves as a Ramase Lajan mentor, offering advice and feedback to new and struggling center owners. He has 3 children and uses his income to pay for his kids’ school and support his family.
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Mannique was the first center owner to serve as a mentor in the Ramase Lajan peer mentoring program. In 2013, he advised several center owners in his community, helping increase collection efforts and revenue generated program-wide.
Mannique Laguerre
Johnny Atilus is the Ramase Lajan in-country program coordinator responsible for overseeing all 26 centers and assisting in the daily operations of the program. Richardson Gustave, Evens Lubin, and Jean Baptiste 'Cuz' Sherland assist center owners as they bring their materials to Haiti Recycling and manage program inventory. Funded and coordinated by Executives Without Borders, this team runs the day to day operations of the Ramase Lajan program, trouble shooting, increasing capacity, and ensuring center owners have all the tools they need to successfully run their businesses.
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Robert Goodwin is the CEO of Executives Without Borders and got involved in Haiti supporting first responders soon after the Haiti earthquake. After engaging business skills and expertise to expand the delivery of safe water and streamline the procurement and delivery of supplies used to build shelters, he and the organization decided to make a long-term commitment to Haiti. Leveraging his relationships with CSS International Holdings, GS Industries/Haiti Recycling, and Samaritan's Purse, Bob established the Ramase Lajan program that now includes over 14 partners and 26 centers across the country, run by Haitian entrepreneurs. Bob says, "The best thing for me is seeing someone bring plastic to a center for the first time and their disbelief that something that they once thought was garbage is now worth money, seeing them invest those funds in food for their families and to pay school fees for their families." Bob has a diverse background as a businessman, former Air Force officer, and official at the US Agency for International Development, State Department and Defense Department. He has experience working in over 40 countries. Executives Without Borders currently runs programs in Haiti, Brazil, Honduras, and India. Through all of his work, Bob found that business could be a force for good, and with that philosophy, he established Executives Without Borders with some friends from Harvard Business School. Since 2007, ExecWB has improved humanitarian programs across the globe and found it possible to create conditions for sustainable development and for companies to do well while doing good.
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"The best thing for me is seeing someone bring plastic to a center for the first time...and seeing them invest those funds in food and to pay school fees."
"By partnering with Thread, Moop is able to introduce a new, eco-friendly material to their customers while continuing to support their personal business ethic of creating good jobs for talented people."
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Moop specializes in canvas bags, designed and manufactured, start to finish, in Pittsburgh. Wendy founded Moop on the principle of good design, quality construction and durable materials, made in house. She is committed to a process of in-house manufacturing and supporting fellow small businesses through material sourcing. By partnering with Thread, Moop is able to introduce a new, eco friendly material to their customers while continuing to support their personal business ethic of creating good jobs for talented people. Where fabric comes from is important. With Thread's fabric, Moop is able to continue their commitment to ethically sourced materials while supporting a likeminded goal of job creation and empowerment through creative practice.
Thread's first fabric sample was produced in 2013 | Partnership inquiries: connect@threadinternational.com
"The most exciting part of working with Ramase Lajan was when the program took a life of its own and partners from all over the world contributed to solving the problem of plastic waste in Haiti. Now Thread is transforming these bottles into fabric that is environmentally and socially conscious. I truly believe that recycled polyester will be the fabric of the future." - Stephan Sajous, Haiti Recycling
2013 was an important year for us, as the metrics we shared with you mark the baseline on which we will continue to chart our impact. We believe the fabric we began creating this year is the culmination of the most sustainable, responsible supply chain in the world. We are excited to support that belief with hard data and we are grateful for the partner and vendor network that has come together to achieve this. In 2014, we're working to audit and authenticate multiple supply chains around the world, offering the transparency and opportunity achieved in 2013 to even more supply chains working with recyclables and creating jobs and impact where it is most needed. We want to connect and build relationships between the people collecting and processing plastic in developing countries with the people around the world who will buy products 'Powered by Thread.' We plan to get more accurate measures of our environmental impact and chart not only the volumes of waste we're keeping off the ground, but how much energy and water is required for recycling and how we can make our operations even more sustainable. We will focus on the economic impact of those supply chains, not only in the number of dollars funneled into the communities where they operate, but what the ripple effect of those dollars is in those neighborhoods. We look forward to constantly improving our products and the supply chains that create them, while sharing our impact as we continue to grow. Here's to 2014.
Kelsey Halling Director of Community Development