Starting in 2020, Flipside Plastics set out to redesign how plastic recycling happens in BC, Canada. Founder and CEO, Laska Paré, set out with a mission not just to recycle but to do recycling at a grassroots level. Drawing inspiration from the European initiative "Precious Plastics," the project ambitiously aimed to empower local communities by providing technology to recycle plastic on a micro scale. This wasn't just recycling; it was an innovative push towards sustainable living, starting with coffee cup lids in Victoria.

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The Pioneering Phase

The initial model was community-centric; partnering with local cafes, setting up collection buckets, and relying on volunteer cyclists for collecting plastics. Flipside Plastics initially focused on coffee cup lids made from no. 5 plastics, something that can be seen as an abundant resource in coffee-loving Victoria, BC. The initial process was completely local, involving handwashing, shredding, and remolding plastics on site in Victoria. 

However, despite being backed by a government grant big enough to buy machinery, hire a couple of employees, and secure 500 square feet of warehouse space, economic viability remained a challenge. The operational cost, space requirements, and access to plastic resources to recycle were all at the forefront of this project. The initial dream of a local and onsite micro recycling center faced a tough reality check.

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Adaptation and Outsourcing

By 2022, it became clear the business’s operations would need to change. The answer lay in outsourcing the acquisition and processing of plastics to a recycled plastic pellet supplier and manufacturer in Vancouver. This significantly reduced Flipside’s workload, but veered away from the original vision of doing everything locally and onsite. One of the main reasons outsourcing to a plastics pellet maker was needed was to achieve better consistency in plastics. Despite custom-making the machines, consistent quality in the final product was hard to achieve at the scale and quality required to do business when using local sources only.

The scarcity of recycled pellet suppliers in Canada, particularly in BC—a province not known for manufacturing—compounded the challenges. Major stakeholders in waste management showed little interest in collaborating with small-scale operations like Flipside Plastics, preferring larger, lucrative markets like the US. For Flipside, breaking into the recycled plastics industry proved difficult to do while also maintaining the vision of being local and eco friendly.

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A fully local product built with partnerships

Rather than building an entire microplastics recycling center in Victoria BC, Flipside Plastics discovered that there were partnerships to be made within BC that can keep the production of this product local, recycled, and true to its vision.

A small manufacturer in Richmond took up Flipside’s contract, enabling the launch of a new product that promised better prospects. With an already established manufacturer as a partner, Flipside Plastics was able to make a two-piece soap dish that has a catch-tray for water underneath the soap holder. Other features of the dish can be found on this page: https://www.flipsideplastics.com/riptide-soap-dish. This product has more value to offer, while also being lighter than previous versions.

Partnering with the supplier of recycled-plastic pellets meant that Flipside didn’t have to work on sourcing  and processing its own plastic materials - a huge task in and of itself. It also meant that the quality of the plastic product was better and more consistent.

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A B2B business model for streamlined operations

Flipside has discovered that being a wholesale supplier of recycled plastic products makes the most sense given the size of the company and the type of bathroom products they specialize in.

B2C saw several obstacles. The high cost of shipping via Canada Post and the consumer preference for combination products, such as purchasing soap and plastic containers simultaneously, made it difficult to sustain direct-to-consumer operations. A soap dish is a secondary or tertiary product in the bath and beauty market, and is best sold as an add-on to shoppers who are already shopping for soap and bath products. An entire brand only for soap dishes didn’t get enough traction to sustain the business.

As a result, the focus has shifted to B2B partnerships with retailers or soap companies looking to buy wholesale. This has streamlined operations significantly, making it easier for Flipside to focus on what they do best - designing recycled products and getting them ready for sale.

This pivot underscored a crucial piece of learning; the product was not merely about recycling but also about learning how to integrate with an exclusive and pre-existing manufacturing and materials network in British Columbia. This business has been about learning how to do manufacturing within the context of British Columbia, and learning how to meet existing market demands to sell the product.

Different business models: Microrecycling Centre  vs. Recycled Plastic Products Producer

The original inspiration for Flipside Plastics came from Precious Plastics, which enables local communities to recycle plastics and make products on-site. Through her work with Flipside Plastics, CEO Laska discovered that building and deploying micro recycling units and selling recycled plastic products are two dramatically different business operations, and can be separated into different businesses entirely.

Given Laska didn’t have a background in machine building, she instead decided to focus on the creation and sale of recycled plastic products. As a result, Flipside has leaned more into the development and sale of these alternative plastics products versus creating micro recycling units.

Here's an example of an on-site plastics recycling machine produced by Precious Plastics:

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Lessons and Insights

Through this adventure, several key insights emerged:

1. Technical Challenge and DIY Adaptability: Starting from scratch required a deep dive into machinery and manufacturing processes, a daunting but rewarding educational experience.
2. Manufacturing Versus Material Source: Producing everything locally reduced the carbon footprint significantly compared to importing alternatives like bamboo from China. Flipside debunked myths around the feasibility and environmental impact of local production.
3. Community Engagement and Education: Initiatives like Ocean Legacy and collaboration with companies like Anian, which incorporated ocean-recycled plastics into their products, showcased the potential for community-driven environmental impact.

Check out this button made by Anian out of recycled ocean plastics:

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The Road Ahead

In conclusion, the transition from a hands-on micro recycling project to a streamlined B2B model illustrates the complexities and adaptive strategies necessary in today's ecological and economic landscape. Flipside’s story reflects a resilient and persistent effort to align entrepreneurial spirit with sustainable practices, setting a course for future innovations in the recycling industry.

Thank you Flipside Plastics for sharing your incredible experience with recycled plastics! I’m so grateful to have learned about your process, and I hope to be able to apply this learning in future projects!