At JSC Impact Consulting, we partner with innovative nonprofits and social enterprises to accelerate positive social and environmental outcomes across the globe. CRDC, or the Center for Regenerative Design & Collaboration, is a JSC client tackling the global plastics waste crisis by transforming mixed plastic waste into RESIN8™, a valuable lightweight eco-aggregate for the concrete industry.
The foundation of CRDC’s approach is the regenerative business model they call REAP: Recover, Enrich, Appreciate, and Prosper. CRDC’s unique approach allows it to accept any type of plastic waste (resins 1-7) as raw material and transform it into RESIN8™. Designed by and for the construction industry, RESIN8™ is unique in that it can be used in structural and non-structural concrete applications, even improving its performance. For example, including up to 10% RESIN8™ in dry-mix concrete applications maintains its ASTM standard strength while providing better insulation and lighter weight.
By transforming plastic waste into a beneficial, climate-friendly input to the construction industry, CRDC is building a closed-loop plastics industry that can be implemented anywhere concrete is produced. And partners are taking notice. Collaborations are underway with Habitat for Humanity and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to create a zero-waste, regenerative economic system that simultaneously addresses the plastic waste crisis, reduces carbon emissions, and contributes to positive social impacts.
JSC Impact Consulting has worked with CRDC since March of 2022 to innovate a hybrid corporate structure that supports the original corporate entity, CRDC Global, to focus on scaling RESIN8™ production to new countries. The new CRDC family of companies will soon include a US public benefit corporation responsible for managing the collection and delivery of plastic waste feedstock, as well as a nonprofit public charity focused on educating schoolchildren about regenerative design and zero-waste practices.
The output of our collaboration is a profitable business model that is highly attractive to impact investors who are seeking opportunities that maximize financial returns while also maximizing the social and environmental good — a recipe for speedy, scalable, and sustainable global growth.
CRDC is an excellent example of how hybrid structures can support innovators to engage new sources of capital and scale up their impact — and a testament to how collaboration, innovation, and purpose-driven models can support change makers focused on doing well while also doing good.
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