Kenya has some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world. Yet the country suffers from many environmental and social problems. Plastic pollution, deforestation and a poverty line that has risen to over 36% are some of the problems that plague its development. Despite the large number of young people who enter the labour market every year, the employment rate remains very low. Having grown up in the Kenyan slums, Lorna Rutto knows all too well the economic and environmental situation in her country. Outraged, she decided to tackle the problem head-on by creating Ecopost. The objective is clear: to reduce the environmental impact of plastic, create jobs and make Kenya a better place to live.
Innovative, environmentally friendly plastic wood
EcoPost manufactures sustainable building products from any plastic that can pass through the extrusion process, a process that transforms plastics into different materials. To succeed in its fight against plastic pollution and to contribute to the achievement of MDG 12 (sustainable consumption and production), the innovative company started by producing fences from recycled plastic waste. It later expanded its solutions to include even more innovative building materials made from aesthetically pleasing and sustainable plastic wood. In doing so, Ecopost is helping to create and develop markets for waste that would otherwise have been discarded in nature. In this way, it is committed to the preservation of the environment.
Its products are used in the production of outdoor furniture, road signs, fences and various shelters. They are also used by various organisations. The Kenya Wildlife ServiceThe Kenyan government agency responsible for nature conservation is also one of EcoPost's clients, as is the UN, which uses the company's products in the construction of refugee camps.
Sustainable jobs for marginalised communities
EcoPost promotes female entrepreneurship by providing tools to women who collect plastic waste from landfills. To this end, it provides them with the means to professionalise waste collection, as well as a platform to be paid directly.
Moreover, since its creation, EcoPost's statistics are impressive. The start-up has removed and recycled millions of kilos of waste, created more than 12,000 jobs for marginalised communities. It has also saved nearly 2,000 hectares of forest and avoided over 160 million kilos of CO2 emissions.
Lorna Rutto's vision, and by extension EcoPost's, is to have a green Africa free of poverty. She wants to create sustainable jobs, especially for people in marginalised areas. Over the next few years, EcoPost plans to train more than 50,000 people, save about 100 million trees and avoid 500 million kilos of CO2 emissions. This is an ambitious goal, and Lorna is working hard with EcoPost to make this dream a reality. The entrepreneur envisions intact forests that provide a habitat for wildlife, neutralizing carbon emissions and allowing nature lovers like herself to enjoy the immense beauty of Kenya. With Ecopost, she is slowly building this dream.
