As soon as he stepped off the car and onto the grounds of Asia’s second-largest landfill, Deonar East in Mumbai, Peter Wang Hjemdahl was met with an arresting view: to one side, towering mountains of plastic, and to the other, the city’s endless, booming urban skyline. It was at that spot that he began a journey two years in the making—to create a global community of conscious consumers, workplaces, and brands going #PlasticNeutral. Through social entrepreneurship, Peter is connecting the growing formalized recycling industry in India with worldwide consumers seeking to reduce their plastic output. The results could start a global movement that will change the way society manages plastic waste. Peter Wang Hjemdahl is the co-founder of rePurpose, a Mumbai-based social enterprise. In May of 2019, the rePurpose team launched reBalance, a platform that allows consumers to make a payment to balance out their individual plastic footprints while supporting waste worker organizations worldwide. After graduating from Wharton this past spring as a recipient
of the President’s Engagement Prize, Peter Wang Hjemdahl is
currently in Mumbai launching rePurpose—a startup that aims to
transform the Indian economy from linear to circular by empowering kabadiwalas, waste dealers who are the direct link between
e-waste producers and the recycling industry. rePurpose will
introduce a digital marketplace for kabadiwalas to more easily
access and sell waste, and will additionally tackle education and
environmental issues in Mumbai. Peter will share his ideas and
experience creating a startup with the audience at TEDxPenn,
covering sustainability, entrepreneurship, and global outreach. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at [ Ссылка ]
