Stanbic signs environment friendly agreement

STAFF WRITER

Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe has signed a one-year agreement with conservation organisation, Ele-Collection, which has a multi-pronged effect of creating jobs for underserved women while preserving the environment in the resort town of Victoria Falls.

The partnership tackles two interconnected challenges: plastic pollution threatening wildlife and the lack of viable income opportunities within surrounding communities.

Ele-Collection employs women who collect discarded plastic thus creating an alternative means of earning an income that can help reduce reliance on subsistence poaching across a range of wildlife species.

The organisation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Simon Teede, said Ele-Collection was born from a near-death encounter with an elephant. It was one of three separate elephant attacks in Victoria Falls that month.

Two people lost their lives in the other attacks, while he and those involved in his encounter survived.

Teede said When the elephant was later put down, a significant quantity of plastic waste was found in its stomach—a stark illustration of the extent to which unmanaged plastic is entering wildlife habitats and being consumed by animals.

He said his near-death experience exposed, in the most immediate and personal way, the growing intersection between unmanaged waste, wildlife and surrounding communities.

Plastic ingestion can cause a condition known as plasticosis, involving plastic-associated inflammation, fibrosis and scarring of the digestive system which can cause death.

Although most studies to date have focused on birds, emerging research is beginning to indicate similar effects across species that ingest plastic waste.

Teede said in this case, it is suspected that the effects of plastic ingestion may have contributed to the elephant’s unusual aggression.

“Ele-Collection employs unemployable women who collect all types of plastic, even dirty, contaminated waste which we then process into aggregate for concrete. Independent testing confirmed the product exceeded industry standards, earning certifications from the Standards Association of Zimbabwe, PPC Cement, and DuraCrete for use in commercial concrete applications,” said Teede.

Teede said “Ele-Collection is creating a different option. Our collectors now earn $8-10 per day recovering plastic from the bush. That’s transformational income. That’s food security. That’s a livelihood that didn’t previously exist,” beamed Teede.

He said Stanbic Bank’s partnership with Ele-Collection has helped transform plastic waste from an environmental threat into a source of income and provision of meaningful livelihood opportunities for women.

He said he was grateful that Stanbic Bank has committed to fund the recovery of 36 tonnes of plastic over the course of this year—the equivalent of approximately 3.6 million 500ml plastic bottles.

The partnership with Stanbic Bank has seen the collection of 9 tonnes of plastic in the last three months, a process which has led to the avoiding of 26.1 tonnes of emissions and equivalent to planting 435 urban tree seedlings.

Stanbic Bank Head Business and Commercial Banking, Patson Mahatchi said the leading financial services institute was pleased to be part of such an environment conscious and sustainability inclined initiative.

“Our institution supports tourism in a big way hence we call Victoria Falls our home. It is thus fitting that this initiative resonates perfectly with our drive to achieve sustainability while serving the communities in which we operate,” said Mahatchi adding that it was pleasing to be part of such a self-sustaining initiative that creates a viable alternative income stream that reduces reliance on subsistence poaching in the region.