News – News
24 February 2022
In an exciting double announcement, the Afri-Plastics Challenge team has shared news of the strand 1 finalists and strand 2 semi-finalists.
Stand 1, which is seeking small and medium-sized enterprises that have a proof of concept and the ability to scale nationally or regionally to reach a high target number of people, particularly engaging women and girls, has announced its 15 finalists.
Strand 2, which is seeking the creation of new or the development of early-stage products or services to encourage the reduction or elimination of plastic usage, has announced its 25 semi-finalists.
The finalists have been selected from 30 semi-finalist teams announced in November 2021. Each has already received grants of £10,000 to grow their ideas and demonstrate their scalability in advance of judging. The 15 finalists will now receive a further £100,000 each to advance their solutions to plastic waste management. In addition to financial support, they will receive expert advice and capacity building in the fields of plastic management, human-centered design, market readiness and communications.
Three winners will be announced in March 2023 – first place will be awarded £1 million, second place will be awarded £750,000 and third place will be awarded £500,000.
CareMe Bioplastics is involved in the collection and recycling of plastic, using a mobile app to collect the plastics from the end-users and process the collected plastics, and turning the plastics wastes into valuable items such as school desks, and both indoor and outdoor furniture.
This organisation focuses on the collection of PET, HDPE and monofilament nylon nets at coastal communities and the Lake Volta and estuaries in Ghana. The solution leverages technology to educate households, reward them in the process, and more.
Chanja Datti’s solution is a technology driven in-house end-to-end process for plastics waste recycling by purchasing directly from our waste aggregators and waste pickers, who are some of society’s most marginalized people.
A social enterprise which helps communities to earn and save direct cash incentives from trash. It establishes Trash Banks as wastes collection points that are accessible for people to directly exchange their trash for cash incentives.
Full Development Agency is a social enterprise that provides sustainable management solutions for urban wastes from different sources and to limit the impact of urban waste on the environment, the ecosystem and public health.
The GIP-Togo solution consists of setting up collection units and sorting facilities for plastic waste in Togo’s major cities, in collaboration with the local authorities. The purpose of this is to collect and recover plastic waste for recycling purposes.
A social enterprise that addresses poverty, unemployment, and climate change challenges by using plastic waste as a currency to exchange value. They provide people living in indigent communities with the opportunity to capture value from their waste.
Mega Gas converts unsorted plastic waste into clean and affordable cooking gas through a patented process. The company’s main objective is to convert unsorted waste polythene/plastics that litter the environment into clean gaseous fuel.
RESWAYE is a buy-back recycling initiative which aims at empowering women and youths through collection and recycling of plastic waste to combat the menace of plastic pollution in the coastal areas of Lagos State, Nigeria.
Nelplast Eco Ghana Ltd is an environmental and social impact company that recycles all types of waste plastics through a polymer-sand composition and extrusion process, into waterproof, heat resistant, and durable, reusable eco bricks for various domestic and large scale construction works.
Planet 3R converts textile and plastic wastes into affordable eco-friendly products for low and middle-income earners. The fascinating nature of recycled products creates a huge brand appeal which makes people within the target market always want products made from recycled materials.
This organisation is South Africa’s first plastic brick manufacturing plant, not only to have brought innovation to the industry –a certified plastic brick– but are also blazing a trail for recycling, social responsibility and grassroots empowerment. They are able to recycle any type of plastic.
Plastock is a mobile application for the environment. It offers an original model for the collection of plastic wastes using Plastock Boxes, or plastic waste purchasing points, installed at participating homes.
TakaTaka Solutions is the only end-to-end waste management company in Kenya – providing a service that spans the waste value chain all the way from waste collection to inhouse recycling. They sort collected waste into over 40 fractions.
The Ambatana Project is creating innovative value chains, through initiating dynamic partnerships between the tourism industry and local women and youth groups who provide an environmental service.
The semi-finalists will be supported with a £25,000 grant and additional expert support to develop and validate their solutions. From these semi-finalists, 10 finalists will be selected in June 2022.
Solutions through to the semi-finals of Strand 2 come from across sub-Saharan Africa, with many developing plant- and nature-based alternatives to plastics in everything from food packaging to construction materials. Several semi-finalists are developing sustainable and plastic-free sanitary products for women and others are working on safe drinking water alternatives that don’t rely on single-use plastic bottles.
Kenya
Chemolex’s Biopactic solution is a recyclable, reusable and 100% biodegradable next-generation material that completely replaces the use of single-use plastic polymers in food and product packaging as well as in manufacturing diapers. The biopactic material is bio-based material that is produced from invasive water hyacinth plants that grows aggressively in Lake Victoria in Kenya. By utilising the invasive water hyacinth plants to produce the sustainable Biopactic material, they are able to reduce the environmental, health and economic adverse impacts caused by the aggressive growth of the water hyacinth and also reduce the use of single-use plastic materials in diapers and also product/food packaging.
Cameroon
This solution is set to reduce the dependence on non-biodegradable plastic packaging by producing and popularizing biodegradable packaging made from plantain trunk fibers. This innovation consists in extracting cellulose from the fibers, to produce paper pulp and subsequently digestible packaging with a limited lifespan, with consideration to the environment and the soil.
Uganda
Creative Youth Agency is providing an alternative to plastic polythene bags, in the form of mycelium containers and eco-friendly bags and baskets. The hyphae vessels made from mycelium, which is the root structure of a mushroom plant, will constitute containers of various shapes and sizes, moulded by women and girls, and will present as a reusable packaging alternative to the plastic bags. In addition, the bags and baskets crocheted from plastic and cloth waste will be used to carry the containers during shopping as opposed to bigger plastic bags.
Ghana
Dercolbags Packaging Limited Company are developing a unique package as a service system which educates households, communities and restaurants in the city of Accra. They will encourage exchange of packaging containers to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of styrofoams. Their Smartpacks will be distributed to participating restaurants, and participating households will receive their foods in our Smartpacks, while couriers will pick up used and washed Smartpack which will be disinfected and cleaned for delivery to restaurants.
Ghana
This solution is the creation of low-cost eco-carrier bags from fabric pieces, made by women dressmakers in the communities and sold to market women for packaging purchased items to their customers. This will reduce the use of plastic carrier bags and will create jobs for women and girls who will sow the reusable green carrier bags and distribute to market women at a fee. The wearing of african print fabric dresses in Ghana forms part of the culture, hence a carrier bag that matches the dresses of shoppers will become fashionable, socially accepted and sustainable.
Kenya
EcoCoCo Homecare is spearheading the development of EcoCoco, a range of multi-purpose everyday home care products made from compostable natural coconut fibre. These will include scouring pads, scrubbing brushes and brooms with coconut fibre bristles. The coconut husk fibre is the outside of the coconut; considered waste from coconuts consumption and oil production. The brushes’ and brooms’ body and handles will be made from wood offcuts recycled from timber yards and commercial carpentry. These biodegradable, plastic-free alternatives will significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste produced by each household.
Congo
Ecoplus is a Congolese company that manufactures highly resistant biodegradable hydrophobic (waterproof and oil-proof) papers made from banana fiber. Its papers are made into paper bags and packaging to replace plastics and Kraft papi. local market for the first time. Our startup is special because it is developing a very innovative product that meets a specific market need and a real problem that affects the whole world. The use of hydrophobic bags or packaging makes it possible to considerably reduce the use of plastic and aluminum bags, which remain a permanent danger for our environment.
Nigeria
Egviolet Catherine Enterprises will be involved in the production of bags made of raffia palm and straws as an alternative to the traditional polyethylene bags used for shopping and packaging goods and groceries. Amigo Raffia bags are created from the segments of the leaves on the Raphia Africana, a tree native to Nigeria. The Raffia is purchased, washed, dried and the segments shredded into a fibre and tinted –all using climate friendly methods- It is then hand woven into the raffia sheets that are then hand sewn into a bag. Their activities include working out a community based and socially acceptable means of packaging household products using eco-friendly materials, in so doing train and offer formal employment to women and girls.
Tanzania
Germark Holdings Limited will be creating vending stations, operated by women, that refill liquid soaps. They will also develop a mobile app on which customers can request and pay for refill services to be delivered to their homes. The product will be either ‘refill or go’ or ‘refill at home’ depending on convenience preferred by the client. The solution will limit use of plastics as the vendors will only sell the product through refills and the client will have to own the reusable containers that can be used more than once.
Kenya
Greenthing Kenya is locally producing bamboo toothbrushes to reduce the recurring need for using plastic toothbrushes that often end up in the environment.The toothbrushes will be produced by women in an environmentally sustainable way.This plant, powered by renewable energy to make eco friendly toothbrushes will be the first of such production line in Africa with a potential of replacing millions of plastic toothbrushes in Kenya alone. Greenthing Kenya has existing distribution channels through a web shop, social media and a physical kiosk in Nairobi.
Kenya
Scoby Bioplastic, using biofabrication as a scalable technology, will provide long-term simplified and eco-friendly alternatives towards plastic free environments. As a social enterprise with modular production systems, they will provide collaborative and growth opportunities towards the empowerment of women and girls.
Nigeria
Luxurious Farms and Services Inc will be using a refill and reuse app to primarily link persons to places where they can Refill and reuse, avoiding single-use plastics as well as get delivery at home to reduce plastic footprint. Through the design and fabrication of a modular and scalable technique for converting agro-waste to bio-packaging, their double-edged approach seeks to combine direct elimination using bio-packaging and the use of a digital refill and reuse application. This app will make a way for the establishment of refill and reuse stations across Abuja metropolis. Schools and homes will also collaborate with designated centres of collection and aggregation such that points accumulated for re-use, refill or recycling can be used to purchase a wide range of household goods, books, stationeries online and offline.
Kenya
Biotic is a sustainably sourced, biobased, biodegradable bioplastic derived from blending fibre composites of agricultural waste feedstock with a non-toxic, inert plasticiser. It looks, feels and functions like petroleum derived plastic currently used in the food and beverage industry thus has no consequences on the customer experience. Biotic is a direct drop-in replacement for plastic designed to fit into existing production infrastructure without requiring design modifications for particular use cases. Thus, it provides a sustainable approach to the elimination of plastic usage through direct substitution.
Nigeria
Naza Agape Foundation plans to produce affordable and biodegradable sanitary pads. Using an innovative and eco-friendly approach, the top and middle layers of their pads will be made of banana fibre, a very abundant plant product which is an ideal substitute for polypropylene used in conventional pads. The bottom layer which will be made with polyethylene (sterilizable and 100% recyclable) will be detached, cleaned and returned to for recycling after use alongside the bagasse-made biodegradable packaging for cash exchange.
Tanzania
Ndanda Fresh Station plans to create stations designed to make clean drinking water easily accessible to the community. To encourage the reduction of plastic water bottle use and provide a cheaper alternative, their aim is to make mobile water boxes that enable people to reuse similar bottles.
Ghana
Plastic Punch are seeking to develop alternative packaging materials for everyday usage to reduce the reliance on plastic as well as developing products like flatware, styrofoam, plastic lining, packaging that are biodegradable using emergent environmentally friendly materials such as algae, coconut fibre, jatropha, and others. The project is starting with a feasibility study into what raw materials available locally would be most ideal for developing bio-sourced packaging in Ghana. The feasibility study will identify and work with partners who will support the project technically, working on cost comparisons, technology, raw material availability, and recyclability of bio-sourced packaging. The second phase of the project will focus on prototyping and in-depth market studies.
Uganda
Pure Products (UG) LTD, through Sparkles Eco-Water ATMs, are a social water purification enterprise that avails innovative access to affordable safe drinking water via installation of eco-friendly water ATMs in underserved communities. Using a micro franchising model, involving women and girls, Sparkles Eco-water ATMs encourages refills, installed to the last mile consumer, connected to any available water source, on solar or normal grid and automatically purifies and dispenses in reusable / refillable bottles owned by the customer, with a coin or card swipe at a price cheaper than the cost of bottled water.
Kenya
Re-Plastic is a connected IoT technology that identifies the fastest moving consumer goods products that are the safest and simplest to distribute via IoT connected vending machines that dispense into smart reusable packaging. This makes refilling product consumption the logical choice by providing maximised convenience with lower costs, lowering prices by 30–40% and offering enabled cashless payments to greatly decrease time spent paying for the product. This opens up new exciting convenient retail opportunities.
South Africa
Regenize, through Zero-Waste Spaza (ZWS), can plug into any existing spaza shop and enables it to become a zero-waste shop where their customers can shop without creating plastic waste. The customers will need to bring their containers to purchase goods supplied by us and stored in secured food-safe containers. Besides reducing plastic waste, it will also enable customers to live a healthier lifestyle. Through ZWS, customers of the spaza’s will be able to purchase just enough of a specific item to make a wholesome meal, such as R5’s worth of pasta/rice/lentils, R2’s worth of spice to go with two tomatoes.
Ghana
Rural Girls Empowerment locally manufactures reusable pads made from soft absorbent cotton fabrics as an alternative to sanitary pads made of plastic. Eco Period pads are fast absorbent with a waterproof layer to prevent leakage with snaps to hold firmly to pants making them comfortable to wear, easy to wash and dry. They contain no plastics or chemicals and so avoid allergies, reduce risks of cervical infections and irritations. One pack of Eco Period pads gives women an inexpensive and a convenient way to manage their monthly period in a safe, dignified and environmentally friendly manner for at least 3 years. Eco Period sanitary pads reduce the use of disposable sanitary pads that contain plastics and sometimes find their way in the ocean after disposal. Eco period donated to school girls in rural areas help young girls stay in school by avoiding stigma and avoid transactional sex.
South Africa
She Eco Response has developed the Wash, Hang and Store Kit, designed to reduce the stigma around reusable menstrual pads. Their kit will consist of a washing board and a brush that will help women and girls rinse and wash the pads without twisting or tampering with the underlayer too much. The store zip will be made waterproof inside for the storage of pads when wet. Then pads will be attached back on the hanger cloth like puzzle pieces that form one big piece to hang outside in the sun without attracting much attention. This kit will encourage more women and girls to consider green mensuration across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Nigeria
The Ecobarter Company Ltd is an integrated zero waste lifestyle guide, planner and e-commerce platform that encourages consumers to reduce their wastes by providing access to eco-friendly alternatives to everyday products such as bamboo toothbrushes, bamboo dining products, bamboo household and personal care products. They also provide micro and small businesses with eco-friendly packaging solutions like recycled kraft paper bags to reduce dependency on plastics. Via their platform, a consumer is able to get sensitised to make a commitment to eliminate plastic wastes while also being able to track waste reduction and consumption patterns. They also incentivize eco-shopping by giving green points which users can redeem as a shopping voucher. Annually, users get graded based on their level of completed tasks/milestones and total green points earned.
Rwanda
Toto Safi’s solution is a reusable cloth diapers-as-as service so that parents do not have to choose between convenience and pollution. For many parents, reusable nappies are neither affordable nor convenient as they may lack adequate washing and drying facilities or are put off by upfront costs. Toto Safi’s app-based service facilitates the reduction of single-use disposable diapers, a major source of land and marine pollution. Through this app, parents will be able to receive a fresh bundle of clean and sterilised cloth diapers, at an affordable cost.
Uganda
Uganda Industrial Research Institute manufactures biodegradable and bio-compostable paper packaging bags from the long wasted agricultural fibres of banana pseudo stem, sugarcane bagasse, all cereal crop straw (rice, maize, and wheat), cotton waste / rags, pineapple crowns among others as an alternative product to reduce the usage of the polythene bag.
Nigeria
ShoppersBag is a reusable, recyclable and biodegradable bag that allows users to earn rewards on every usage. ShoppingBag is distributed free to 100s of shops across our community. The bags are marked with QR Codes that allow the shops to scan and users to get rewarded with discounts, free gifts, coupon codes etc, on their every shopping experience with ShoppersBag. The idea is to create a universal type of bag that people will always want to use for their next shopping trip. ShoppersBagis designed to address the challenge of repetitive production and disposal of plastic bags across the community.
