Our 2024 Impact Report demonstrates that circular economy solutions can thrive when they're accessible, affordable, and community-driven, transforming environmental challenges into economic opportunities across Southeast Asia. The blog post showcases our impressive 2024 results including 6,233 metric tons of plastic waste diverted, 1.8 million people directly impacted, and 255 communities supported, while highlighting 10,666 informal waste collectors we've empowered since 2016. The post features compelling transformation stories from across the region: Mr. Hau Giang in Vietnam turning worthless pond liner waste into income through our infrastructure, Indonesian waste pickers becoming skilled workers through our ReForm Plastic franchises, and our Glassia venture's 3.12 million bottle refills proving Vietnam's hunger for circular solutions. These human stories demonstrate our unique approach that prioritizes accessibility and community ownership, using a reverse payment model that compensates collectors first and designing solutions with communities rather than for them. The blog positions us as both a proven impact leader with nine years of results and an accessible scaling partner, inviting collaboration from investors, corporations, governments, and communities. It emphasizes that environmental responsibility drives economic opportunity while empowering communities as change agents, making the case that the circular economy should be profitable for everyone, everywhere, not just wealthy markets.
When Mr. Hau Giang first looked at the damaged pond liners scattered across his shrimp farm in Sóc Trăng province, he saw waste. For years, these plastic liners—generated by an industry producing an estimated 3,000 tons annually—had no choice but to be burned or buried. Today, those same "worthless" materials represent additional income, environmental protection, and proof that the right infrastructure can transform challenges into opportunities.
Mr. Hau Giang's story opens our newly released 2024 Impact Report: Building Circular Economies That Work for Everyone, and it perfectly captures what we've learned after nine years of building accessible circular solutions across Southeast Asia.
2024 was a year of bold progress, and the results speak for themselves:
But behind every statistic is a human story of transformation.
In Indonesia's waterways, low-value plastic sachets had created environmental disasters while offering no economic opportunity. Through our ReForm Plastic franchise model, former waste pickers now operate facilities that transform river plastic into valuable construction materials.
"Training our production workers was a major challenge," recalls our Indonesian franchisee partner. "Most had no background in plastic recycling—some were even waste pickers from the rivers near their homes." The transformation was remarkable: "We are now able to achieve consistent daily production cycles with significantly improved quality."
This isn't just environmental cleanup—it's economic empowerment at scale.
Meanwhile, in Vietnam, Glassia Water quietly revolutionized how an entire country thinks about reuse. What started as a premium water service became something much more significant: proof that Vietnamese businesses were hungry for circular solutions.
3.12 million bottles refilled in 2024 alone represent more than environmental wins—they're evidence of cultural transformation. From hotels reaching for glass instead of plastic, to restaurants making reuse a point of pride, Vietnam is embracing circular culture at unprecedented scale.
Perhaps most inspiring is our work in Guimaras, Philippines, where we signed an MOU to transform waste management across an entire island. Instead of shipping waste off-island, communities now turn plastic waste into valuable resources right at home—materials that build their own infrastructure while creating local jobs.
"The incentive from Evergreen Labs kickstarted participation and enhanced plastic recovery efforts, especially in communities where there was little to no established collection system," explains Ma. Leah Joy Gabayeron from the Guimaras Environment and Natural Resources Office.
Our impact extends far beyond waste management. In Vietnam, Ms. Sáu—an informal waste worker who had never bought health insurance—received coverage through our Collector Network program.
"I received a call from you to give me health insurance... Now I have more confidence to go to the hospital whenever I feel not good with my health," she shares. This holistic support approach, reaching 10,666 individuals across our network to date, proves that sustainable circular economy isn't just about waste flows—it's about ensuring the people who make it possible can build secure, healthy lives.
What makes our approach revolutionary isn't just the scale—it's the philosophy. We believe the circular economy shouldn't be a privilege reserved for wealthy markets. It should be accessible, affordable, and profitable for everyone, everywhere.
Our reverse payment model prioritizes those at the base of the value chain—collectors receive fair compensation first, followed by transporters and processors. This challenges traditional economic hierarchies and creates more equitable value distribution.
As we look ahead, our innovation roadmap prioritizes solutions that generate local ownership and economic returns. The most transformative innovations are those that communities can improve upon, adapt, and eventually outgrow—creating sustainable impact that lives independently of our direct involvement.
Our community engagement creates ripple effects that reach from individual households to municipal policy. When Barangay Kagawad Jocelyn Climaco partnered with us in Pasig City, household-level sustainability practices fed directly into LGU programs, creating champions at every level.
"Empowering others is the very root of creating impact together," Climaco explains. "Our training on sustainable waste disposal and promotion of reduced plastic consumption enables a circular economy even within their own households."
The achievements in our 2024 report represent just the beginning. We've proven that circular economy solutions thrive when they're accessible, affordable, and community-driven. But scaling this impact requires partnership.
Whether you're:
We're here to collaborate.
The circular economy we're building opens up new possibilities for innovation, entrepreneurship, and community empowerment. Together, we can prove that environmental responsibility drives economic opportunity, that community empowerment scales global impact, and that the solutions the world needs already exist—they just need partners bold enough to implement them.
Download our full 2024 Impact Report to explore detailed data, comprehensive case studies, and our complete GRI-compliant sustainability framework.
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The future is circular. The time is now. Join us in building regenerative solutions that work for people and planet alike.
Download the Full Report → Full format link available here
Evergreen Labs is a venture builder transforming Southeast Asia's approach to sustainability since 2016. Headquartered in Singapore with operations across Vietnam and the Philippines, we build circular social businesses that tackle pressing environmental challenges while creating meaningful economic opportunities for communities. Our portfolio includes ReForm Plastic, Glassia Water, HealthyFarm, and comprehensive EPR & supply chain services.
