Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL) has launched what it describes as Pakistan’s first-ever recycled plastic retail site - the Malik Service Station at Shahrah-e-Faisal, Karachi.

SPL has collaborated with the cofounders of product research and development company Concept Loop, Dabeer Hemani and Syed Ali Naqi.

The construction of the retail site used the equivalent of 1.3m pieces of end-of-life plastic waste in infused pavers and concrete blocks.

The initiative aims to demonstrate the potential of recycled materials in building infrastructure.

SPL CEO and managing director Waqar Siddiqui commented: “Innovative solutions such as this need to be tried and tested. The success of the plastic-infused road and the recycled plastic site can serve as an inspiration for future infrastructure developments. A ripple effect is what [we] aspire to achieve – inspiring broader adoption of sustainable practices.”

SPL remains committed to exploring new avenues for environmental responsibility and innovation.

The company recorded a profit after tax of Rs314m in the first quarter of 2024.

Pakistan’s plastic usage is undergoing upheaval as Punjab province banned the production and sale of plastic bags on 5 June 2024.

This was followed by a call from Romina Khurshid Alam, climate change coordinator to Pakistan’s prime minister, for all provincial governments across the country to replicate the ban.