Mangrove roots beside tidal water
Context · Sundarbans tidal landscape.

Open for funding · southwest Bangladesh

Sundarbans Guardian Cooperative

The proposed first trial will follow one batch of recovered plastic from collection to processor acceptance and payment to the cooperative.

Follow a recovered plastic batch

Regional context

Plastic reaches the Sundarbans by water

Plastic moves through upstream markets, rivers and creeks before reaching mangrove edges. Collection is only part of the problem.

Once material moves on, its source, weight and value can become difficult to follow.

2.7 ttraced in nine months
A regional pilot has already shown that plastic can stay traceable here.

PRISTINE’s WasteX system recorded 2,667.65 kg of single-use plastic across ten upstream marketplaces, including Mongla Sadar, Baniashanta and Digraj, between August 2024 and May 2025.

Regional precedent · not an SGC result

Arannayk Foundation · WasteX traceability ↗
Community waste sorting beside a Sundarbans river
Context image · waste sorting, Sundarbans river system · Not project evidence
13 AUG 2026EPR

Bangladesh policy shift

Responsibility now follows plastic after sale

Bangladesh’s 2026 guidelines place post-use responsibility on listed manufacturers, importers and brand owners. SGC turns that policy shift into a field test: one recovered lot, one processor receipt and one cooperative payment record.

SGC-01

The same lot, all the way through

A lot is a batch of recovered plastic. SGC-01 is its working record, tracing the batch from recovery until the sale is paid.

01 / ORIGIN

Record what was recovered

Record the material, where it came from, its condition and who recovered it.

Material
Plastic category and exclusions
Source
Recovery area and collection window
Recovery group
Named cooperative or collection operator

Before it moves: record source, condition and starting weight.

02 / CUSTODY

Know who has it next

At each handoff, record who received SGC-01, what weight left, what arrived and what was lost or excluded.

Holder
Named custodian at each handoff
Dispatch
Condition and weight when it leaves
Receipt
Incoming record linked to SGC-01

03 / ACCEPTANCE

Record what the processor accepts

The processor records accepted net weight, deductions, rate and when payment is due.

Compressed plastic bottle bales at a material-handling warehouse
Context image · processor handling. No project processor or accepted lot is confirmed yet.
Specification
Material requirement, condition and excluded waste
Acceptance
Received weight, deductions and accepted net weight
Terms
Rate, receipt, payment timing and rejection treatment

Rejected or deducted material stays on the SGC-01 record.

04 / SETTLEMENT

Trace the payment back

The sale closes when processor payment, route costs and member payments can all be matched to SGC-01.

Sale record
Accepted quantity, rate and processor receipt
Route costs
Recorded costs or reserve applied to SGC-01
Member payment
Payment reference linked to the accepted lot

What funding tests

Test the cooperative recovery route

The first funded route tests lot traceability, processor acceptance on written terms and payment back to the cooperative.

The lot stays identifiable

Source, custody and recorded losses stay with SGC-01.

The processor writes down what it accepts

Specification, deductions, accepted weight, rate and payment timing are recorded.

The payment can be matched back

Sale proceeds, route costs and member payments are reconciled against SGC-01.

Next capital decisionRun one complete route, reconcile the records, then decide what infrastructure is actually needed.

Where the money goes

How the first route is funded

Indicative share of funding by use.

30%Environment

Recovery points, handling controls and local environmental checks.

15%Health

Safe handling, PPE, sanitation and incident controls.

20%Education

Training for material identification and lot records.

35%Livelihood

Collection, processor acceptance and cooperative payment records.

Funding decision

One batch of plastic, followed to payment

Follow one SGC-01 batch from recovery through processor acceptance to cooperative payment before considering permanent assets.

Discuss this project