Plastic Bank
In 2021, Malibu partnered with Plastic Bank, an initiative that aims to reduce plastic in our oceans while improving the lives of collectors by turning trash into treasure. The philosophy behind Plastic Bank is simple: "If plastic had value, it wouldn't end up in the sea."
Most of the coconuts used in the making of Malibu are sourced from the Philippines. Through this partnership, Malibu has committed to helping prevent 100 tonnes of plastic from entering the Philippine Sea, equivalent to over 5 million plastic bottles or 1.5 million coconuts.
The Philippines is a high-pollution, low-income country and in many of its coastal areas, poverty and plastic waste meet in abundance. Plastic Bank turns ocean-bound plastic into currency, encouraging local people to collect discarded bottles, bags, and packaging and bring them to Plastic Bank branches. There, the plastic is weighed, sorted, and logged, and the collectors are rewarded - sometimes in cash, sometimes in essentials like food, Wi-Fi credits, or even school fees.
Each kilo of plastic banked is logged digitally: who brought it, where, and when. This ensures honesty, builds trust, and gives Malibu verifiable impact data.
The waste plastic is cleaned, processed, and sold as a recycled material, creating a closed loop where trash becomes a valuable raw material.
