Since the last report, Green Phenix encountered quite some adversity. The bricks are not coming along as we expected and hoped, the hang printer requires more R&D than anticipated and after a year of operating from 2 locations, we decided that we simply couldn’t continue operating 2 locations anymore. This meant that we had to move everything to Paviljoen Zeelandia. We were very fortunate that there were still some empty spaces, which we could use to expand our operation there. In a way we were very sad to leave Sambil, because they are a great partner, and we’ve had an amazing year getting all the exposure of being in the mall. However, the move was a necessary step back to go forward.
In the meantime, we’ve prepared Paviljoen Zeelandia in such a way that we can take tourists through the journey of plastic. From collecting, sorting, shredding, processing to a new product. This was supported by the new project “Curaçao’s Journey to Circularity” which we are doing in collaboration with TUI Care Foundation. Officially, we’ll start in January, but we already were able to host the first groups and celebrities. Sometimes our guests join us on a beach clean-up first, so that they also see the origin of our motivation.
Furthermore, the first 2 cohorts finished the 1-year lasting “learn and work”-program “waste no more”. They received a certificate and currently 6 former participants are directly employed by Green Phenix, thanks to the support of both MCB & TUI Care Foundation. Currently, the 3rd Cohort counts 17 participants and the 7 empty spots will be filled in the new year. We partnered up with Excellent Social Services to extend the support for the participants outside of Green Phenix.
Fortunately, after the challenges of the last months, things are looking up. The new participants of the “learn and work”-program are great, some really amazing volunteers have joined our cause, and we’ve added an oven to the machine range to also be able to work with ocean plastic. We’ve been making great steps in creating a growth strategy, and we’re looking into an interesting opportunity to expand our impact 10-fold. If you’re interested to learn more, please contact us.
The COVID situation is still making things extra difficult for us and many are struggling. So are we, but we’ve seen first hand how important it is for people to be able to go somewhere and be valued. So we continue with our mission to create a circular and inclusive economy. We cannot do it alone. If you are doing something charitable at the end of this year, please think of us.
Make a donation, buy a souvenir or book a tour. If you book a tour, you can see the work we do first hand.
