This archive report was first published on 20 August 2019.
Mr Green Africa Secures Funding for Plastic Recycling ¶
On August 20, 2019, Mr Green Africa, a Nairobi-based recycler and recycled plastics supplier, received funding from DOB Equity, a Dutch family-backed impact investor in East Africa, and Global Innovation Fund, in partnership with Unilever.
According to Keiran Smith, Co-Founder and CEO of Mr Green Africa, "We believe we are in the right place, at the right time, to create a blueprint for emerging markets to provide a circular solution to the plastic challenge and need partners like DOB Equity and Global Innovation Fund that see this opportunity."
The funds will enable Mr Green Africa to expand and build on its aggregation model, which enables it to scale the trade of recyclables while building a strong and reliable supplier network. The firm aims to increase processing capacity to produce higher value recycled products in larger volumes to supply consumer goods companies.
DOB Equity is keen to support companies focusing on waste reduction and recycling, and Mr Green Africa is DOB's second investment in the sector, following a recent investment in Zanrec, a waste management company on Zanzibar, said Brigit van Dijk – van de Reijt, CEO of DOB Equity.
Urbanisation and a growing middle class are leading to increased plastics ending up in the environment. Plastic is burned, ends up on the streets or on a landfill. A growing number of international consumer goods companies, including Unilever, have pledged to reduce the impact of their plastic packaging on the environment by working towards using 100 per cent reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025 or earlier.
Earlier, Unilever East Africa partnered with Mr Green Africa to scale up its current plastic recycling program in Primary schools, dubbed U-Turn, which aims to change people's behaviour on how they handle plastics to curb pollution.
Mr Green Africa currently engages over 2,000 previously marginalised waste collectors and sells over 2,000 metric tons fairly sourced recycled materials for local and international markets.
Waste pickers benefit from a variety of supplier loyalty programs and services, including life and entrepreneurial skills, health care assistance, as well as access to micro-loans. Other non-monetary benefits include the provision of protective clothing, such as gloves and boots, as well as tools and in some instances, mobile phones.
Mr. Green Africa sees the informal waste pickers as invisible heroes who have languished at the bottom of the waste hierarchy for too long. Establishing a mechanism through which informal waste pickers can trade directly with Mr. Green Africa gives these invisible heroes a rare opportunity to improve their lives.
