Thread takes trash from some of the poorest neighbourhoods on the planet and transforms it into textiles, providing income opportunities and cleaning the environment.
In 2010, Ian Rosenberger – founder of Thread – wrote in his journal, “If Haiti can turn trash into $ = good.” This sentence was the foundation of Thread, which employs collectors in Haiti and Honduras to pick up plastic bottles that are turned into fabrics along a 100% transparent supply chain. With Thread, 38.9 million plastic bottles have been removed from streets and canals, significantly reducing damage to the environment and marine ecosystems. In addition to providing thousands of income opportunities and limiting plastic waste, Thread also has an interest-free micro-loan programme to keep its suppliers in business.
This solution was featured in Reimagining Plastics market of the 2018 Global Opportunity Report, and was selected based on the criteria of that report.
How the Global Goals are addressed
No Poverty
Thread has created 3,845 income opportunities in Haiti and Honduras, providing adequate wages to workers in poor communities to help lift them out of poverty.
Decent Work and Economic Growth
By providing them with interest-free support, Thread enables its suppliers to grow their business and improve financial literacy, boosting the local economy.
Reduced Inequalities
Guaranteed transparency in the entire supply chain ensures fair workforce practices and helps close the pay and inequality gap, often prevalent in the communities.
Life Below Water
Plastic pollution is impacting even the most remote, fragile marine ecosystems. Reducing plastic waste streams is crucial to mitigating against further aquatic demise.
Thread
Thread takes trash from the developing world and uses it to make fabric, employing local workers to collect and separate the plastic material.
Global Goals addressed