maria_fernanda_cabal_plastic_bank

Colombian environmental leader transforming plastic waste into economic empowerment

Maria Fernanda Cabal is the founder of Plastic Bank, a social enterprise that turns ocean plastic into currency for marginalized communities. Established in 2015 but achieving global scale between 2020-2025, Cabal's initiative has collected over 200 million pounds of ocean-bound plastic while creating income streams for 50,000+ collectors in 12 countries. Her 2022 partnership with Unilever created the first plastic-to-plastic recycling loop in the global south.

Cabal's system uses blockchain technology to track plastic collection, offering collectors cryptocurrency rewards in addition to local currency. In 2023, she launched the Ocean Plastic Standard certification, enabling brands to verify recycled content claims. This innovation directly impacted the 2024 EU Circular Plastics Directive which now recognizes Plastic Bank's certification.

In Colombia specifically, Cabal's 2021 project in the Caribbean coast region provided training programs that increased women's participation in plastic collection by 400%. Her 'Plastic Schools' initiative funds education through plastic collection - each kilogram collected provides one week of school fees. Over 15,000 children in coastal communities now receive education through this program.

Her work was spotlighted in the Netflix documentary "Plastic Wars" (2023) and earned her the 2024 UN Environment Award. Cabal's vision extends to creating a global Plastic Economy where waste becomes a shared resource - by 2025 her network processed 1 billion plastic bottles diverted from oceans.