A plastic recycling business brought to its knees by a tornado is back on its feet, promising to transform the industry - if it can find the right investors.
Rui Peng wants to end plastic pollution, but a wild tornado has pushed pause on those dreams for now.
Peng and his business partner Adam Ransfield run Critical, a clean-technology business that takes plastic waste Aucklanders put out on their kerbs and turns it into beautifully designed furniture and products for interior design fit-outs, thanks in part to seed funding from Auckland Council.
Rui Peng is feeling thankful despite the damage to his factory.
Photo: Justin Latif
The pair had been working since April on setting up a factory in Papatoetoe, which, according to Peng, is like nothing else in New Zealand or Australia , and they were days away from beginning large-scale manufacturing. So when the entrepreneurs entered their site on the morning of June 19, Peng admits some tears were shed upon seeing what was left of their roof.