Alexey Ermakov: Helping Companies Reduce Their Plastic and Carbon Footprints

Ladderworks is a publishing platform of diverse picture books and online curriculum with the mission to empower over a million kids to become social entrepreneurs. Our current series features interviews by our interplanetary journalist Spiffy with inspiring Social Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builders, and Changemakers who are advancing the UN SDGs.

Hi friends, it’s Spiffy, back again on Planet Earth with an eye on entrepreneurs making the world a more equitable place! I have one more interview for you this week. Today I’m excited to cruise around with Alexey Ermakov, co-founder and chief strategy and marketing officer (CSMO) of Impala Hub. Are you ready to be inspired?

Spiffy: Hi Alexey, thanks a million for talking to me today. Tell me, what challenge is Impala Hub addressing?

Alexey: It’s great to be here, Spiffy! We are addressing plastic pollution. Currently, most plastics are fossil-made and not designed for a circular economy. Also, petroleum-based plastics are carbon intensive and contribute to climate change.

Spiffy: What motivates you to do it?

Alexey: As I grew up living close to forests and nature, I have appreciated and treasured them since my childhood. Later, I better understood humankind’s dependence on nature and our earth’s ecosystems. After seeing plastic pollution and a significant degradation of the climate globally, I decided to study the problem deeper in order to find a solution and make a positive impact.

Spiffy: That’s inspiring! What would you say is the impact of your work?

Alexey: Impala Hub accelerates the transition to a circular economy with sustainable materials that can replace fossil-based virgin plastics. We have assessed and built a hub of more than 200 alternative materials that can help companies reduce their plastic and carbon footprints.

Spiffy: Tell me about a recent organizational milestone or initiative. What impact does that make?

Alexey: Impala Hub has been recognized as an impactful startup in France and has received support from a public sector investment bank—Bpifrance. This helps us to gain visibility and do projects with more companies willing to replace petroleum-based plastics in their products.

Spiffy: Is there anything else you would love to tell our audience?

Alexey: A few months earlier, Impala Hub formally joined the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty as an endorser. (See the details here.)

Spiffy: Thanks for speaking with me today, Alexey—it’s been an honor!

Alexey Ermakov is an impact-driven co-founder and CSMO of Impala Hub. Prior to entrepreneurship, he worked as an associate director in recruitment for UBS in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and Asia-Pacific regions. Before UBS, he was a senior associate within the financial services practice group at Egon Zehnder, a global organizational and human capital advisory firm. Alexey holds the executive master’s degree in innovation and entrepreneurship from HEC Paris. He earned his first university degree in economics and management from Bryansk State Technical University (BSTU) in Russia. He also holds the diploma of interpreter in business communication (English) from BSTU. Originally from Russia, Alexey has lived globally in countries like Singapore, Poland, France, and briefly in the United States. (First published on the Ladderworks website on November 14, 2023.)

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of Ladderworks LLC.

© 2023 Ladderworks LLC. Edited by Sujit Kunte. Spiffy’s illustration by Shreyas Navare. For the Ladderworks digital curriculum to help K-3 kids advance the UN SDGs, visit Spiffy's Launchpad: Creative Entrepreneurship Workshops for K-3 Kids and their caregivers here.