Extrusion International USA 2-2020

41 Extrusion International 2/2020 Massive international interest is being attracted by a business idea in Nairobi, Kenya, which is unique in the plastics industry. Starting in 2014, the start-up company Mr. Green Africa has succeeded in estab- lishing a collection and sorting system for plastics from industrial and household waste in the greater Nairobi area. The company is interested in upgrad- ing the waste collection system to provide the many “waste pickers” with fair and stable pay. Today, Mr. Green Africa is an important employer in the region with over 100 permanent employees and almost 2,000 “waste pickers”. As of February, the young entrepreneurs have ex- panded their business model and no longer sell only washed flakes, but now recycle directly on site at their plant in Nairobi. The Institute for Polymer Ma- terials and Testing at the Johannes Kepler Univer- sity Linz carried out material analysis in advance to specify the recycling technology needed to achieve high quality recyclate despite the level of contami- nation of the input material. In the end they chose to go for EREMA, or more precisely for the INTAR- EMA ® 1108 TVEplus ® RegrindPro ® with laser filter, which specialises in processing challenging post consumer materials. Kenya’s plastics industry on course for sustainable success “When choosing the recycling technology, the deci- sive factor for us was that HDPE and PP material can be processed on the same line. With HDPE we col- lect all types of packaging, including canisters and bottles, which are often contaminated with paper labels and printing inks. Despite different input ma- terials and their varying quality, we have to meet the demands of our customers and deliver a consis- tent quality of recyclate output,” explains Mr. Green Africa CEO Keiran Smith. Following their initial dis- cussions it was clear to EREMA Group CEO Manfred Hackl that EREMA definitely wanted supply technol- ogy to Mr. Green Africa. “Keiran Smith and Karim Debabe captivated me with their business idea from the very first second. As far as I know, setting up a company with such an effective social impact is unique in the plastics recycling sector and could serve as a model for other regions,” says Hackl. Regional buyers for the recyclate were quickly found, such as Unilever Africa. The packaging of the new Sunlight scouring powder, which was launched at the beginning of the year, consists 100 percent of material recycled by Mr. Green. “The launch of the first truly circular plastic packaging for Sunlight scouring powder in Kenya is a great win for the en- vironment and goes a long away in our quest to en- sure that plastic only remains in our economy and stays clear of the environment,” says Bruno Witvoet, President Unilever Africa. EREMA Group www. erema-group.com Mr. Green Trading Africa (Kenya) Ltd www.mrgreentrading.com Keiran Smith (Mr. Green Africa), BrunoWitvoet (Unilever Africa), Sanjay Brahmbhatt (Blowplast) and Justin Apsey (Unilever East Africa) at the product launch of Sunlight scouring powder earlier this year in Nairobi. The packaging is made of material recycled 100 percent by Mr. Green Africa. The product is available in Kenya and surrounding regions (Photo credit: Unilever Kenya)