July 2026

#GIFDescription: Ashoka Fellows Agustina Besada, Sue Riddlestone, Gary Cohen, Dipesh Pabari, María Almazán, and David Cuartielles.

The world produces five trillion plastic bags a year, around 160,000 every second. Most are used for just 15 minutes, yet they last for up to 1,000 years, breaking down into microplastics that are now found everywhere, from the deepest oceans to the human body. As International Upcycling Day just passed and International Plastic Bag Free Day arrives tomorrow, we take a moment to look at what's changing across the Ashoka network. In schools, Ashoka Fellow Agustina Besada's Unplastify has engaged more than 4,000 students across 10 countries with youth-led solutions that reduce single-use plastics. In the UK, Ashoka Fellow Sue Riddlestone's Bioregional is helping local councils strengthen climate planning with net-zero tools that measure the carbon impact of housing and spatial growth decisions. In the United States, Ashoka Fellow Gary Cohen's Health Care Without Harm is working with hospitals to replace disposable surgical garments with reusable alternatives. On Kenya's Pate Island, Ashoka Fellow Dipesh Pabari's The Flipflopi has built a community-owned plastic recovery system that has already collected more than 18 tons of plastic. And in Spain, Ashoka Fellows María Almazán and David Cuartielles have launched Hola Vivi, a new app that makes it easier to extend the life of clothes, reduce textile waste, and better understand the social and environmental impact of fashion brands.

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