Mr Green Africa raises funding from DOB Equity and Global Innovation Fund

Mr Green Africa secures funding from DOB Equity and Global Innovation Fund

Funding from a Dutch family-backed impact investor in East Africa, and Global Innovation Fund, in partnership with Unilever.

Mr Green Africa which is a Nairobi based recycler and recycled plastics supplier and also an alumni of Nairobi Garage will use the funds to expand and build on the aggregation model which will enable them scale the trade of recyclables while building a strong and reliable supplier network.

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.”

Though they have not specified the amount of the funds, the firm will also use the funds 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 DOBs’ 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.

Waste management is a huge issue in Africa and Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, is no exception. This is highly contributed by Urbanisation and the growing middle class.In most cases plastic is either burned, or ends up on the streets or on a landfill. Today it is approximated that Nairobi produces around 2,400 tonnes a day, of which roughly 60% is collected and only around 10% recycled. The rest is dumped illegally or burned.

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. In Kenya only 10 per cent of plastic waste is currently being recycled.

Earlier, Unilever East Africa partnered with Mr Green Africa to scale up its current plastic recycling program in Primary schools. Dubbed U-Turn, the campaign gets people to change their behaviour on how they handle plastics to curb pollution.

The two firms also called on manufacturers, stakeholders and the public in general to join the gospel of plastic recycling by better managing waste.

“We are on a clear journey towards a circular economy for our plastic packaging, we commit to lead the way in driving a systemic behaviour change among our peers and consumers towards creating a sustainable and clean environment for future generations.” said Mr. Joseph Sunday, Corporate Affairs and Sustainable Business Director at Unilever.

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