We are pleased to announce that MOVEMENT is now part of the Pledge 1% family, a corporate philanthropy initiative of which member companies pledge 1% of their equity, profit, employee time and/or products to charitable causes. MOVEMENT is a smartphone case maker and social enterprise with a mission to keep plastic waste out of the world’s oceans before it becomes a pollution risk. An important part of MOVEMENT’s mission is supporting organizations that focus on marine pollution cleanup and prevention projects, therefore we are donating 50% of profits from every purchase to organizations that champion our values by using science and education to fight this global health crisis.
Our MOVEMENT launched in 2017 with the recognition that plastic pollution not only manifests in single-use plastics but also in lesser known durable plastics from discarded technology hardware and accessories. The current lack of infrastructure to recycle post-consumer durable plastics led us to launch MOVEMENT’s “Buy One Recycle One” program. The program targets an opportunity to recycle used phone cases from the general public, most of whom cannot physically access or amass the scale to dispose of durable plastics at the right facilities. Customers can take advantage of the prepaid return shipping included with each purchase to mail in old cases for recycling with our recycling partner. However, we enthusiastically encourage non-customers to participate in the program as part of MOVEMENT’s core commitment to fight plastic pollution.
Environmental responsibility is and always will be part of MOVEMENT’s DNA. As a young company in the business of making products, we are adopting extended producer responsibility early on because we believe that the practice is non-negotiable with or without the enforcement of law. All numbers have led us to the same conclusion: Durable plastics have become a high waste footprint that is only growing bigger faster. The technology research firm Gartner reported that nearly 1.5 billion smartphones were purchased in 2016 worldwide, while 3 out of 4 smartphone owners will go through at least one case during each phone’s life cycle. That is roughly 65 million pounds of durable plastics heading to the landfills in the next couple of years. In addition, McKinsey & Company estimated that 3 billion people from developing nations will rise to the middle class by 2030. Whereas that is great news for societies, higher purchasing power creates an ever greater demand for products, raw materials and energy. Growing income and reliance on mobile technology will make no exceptions of demand for smartphones or tech accessories.
The environment must not bear the costs from these statistics especially because many solutions already exist. We implore businesses, producers, and suppliers to assume stewardship that bridges hope to reality while there is still time. As the venerable Sir David Attenborough recently said, “It is one world. And it’s in our care. For the first time in the history of humanity, for the first time in 500 million years, one species has the future in the palm of its hands. I just hope he realises that that is the case.”
Originally posted: January 1, 2018
