EcoPost - Plastic lumber from recycled plastic

EcoPost was conceived in 2010 to tackle these challenges. Our vision is to have a “Green” Africa free from Poverty.

Our mission is to conserve our environment and create sustainable jobs for People in Marginalized Communities.

At EcoPost we recycle waste plastic into plastic lumber for use in applications such as fencing and road sign posts. This way we provide an eco-friendly product that is a superior alternative to timber, provide a waste management solution to the growing plastic waste menace and create hundreds of job opportunities to youth and women in Kenya.

Transcript

1. by Lorna Rutto Co‐founder and Director, EcoPost Ltd, Baba Dogo Road, Ruaraka, Nairobi, Kenya +254(0)721953768 / +254(0)725351032 info@ecopost.co.ke www.ecopost.co.ke Eco‐friendly plastic lumber that is a superior alternative to timber, provides a waste management solution and creates hundreds of job opportunities.
2. The Problem Kenya faces the triple challenge of: (a). Managing it's municipal Solid Waste. The country generates over 10,000 Metric Tonnes of Waste daily (20% of which us plastic) which is disposed all over, littering streets, clogging sewers and overflowing in dump sites. The waste encroaches people's homes and it's also burned openly releasing harmful gases to the environment causing Respiratory problems to people living around the areas. (b). Conserving it's Environment. Kenya has only 2% forest cover due to deforestation because of the increase in human population and the need for building and instruction material (c). Poverty Reduction. 46% of Kenyans live below the poverty line with less than 1 US Dollar per day, over 500,000 youths enter the job market each year and there are no job opportunities, many people in the marginalized areas end up scavenging in the dump sites
3. The Solution EcoPost was conceived in 2010 to tackle these challenges. Our vision is to have a “Green” Africa free from Poverty. Our mission is to conserve our environment and create sustainable jobs for People in Marginalized Communities. To tackle the challenges, EcoPost recycles waste plastic into plastic lumber for use in various applications including fencing and road sign posts, flower pots and outdoor furniture. So far, we have managed to: Withdraw and utilise over 1.5 Million Kg of Plastic waste from the environment and prevented over 2.5 Million KG of CO2 Emissions from environment EcoPost provides a superior alternative to timber. We have produced and sold over 20,000 posts thus saved over 300 Acres of Forest We work with the youth and women groups, helping them to set up their own material recovery facility and train them to collect, sort and add value to plastic waste which we purchase from them and take to the factory for processing. We have so far created 40 direct jobs in the factory and more than 500 indirect jobs in The material recovery facility.
4. Business Model Clients get to know about EcoPost mainly through the internet. We’ve been featured extensively in numerous local and international news sites and television.
5. Technology
6. Marketing & Sales Strategy Website / Internet Advertising TV Word of Mouth Talk Shows Attending Conference Exposure from Business Plan Competitions Exhibition Applying for tenders Prizing strategy – We intend for our posts to have mass market appeal with time. We will do this through improved production efficiencies (innovation) and increasing our distribution channels ( through stockists like hardware located all over Kenya) The government has offered a policy to give youths in business 10% of government tenders, we have signed up and intend to benefit by getting tenders to fence the national parks & forests. Educate the market about the benefits of our products through various means such as agricultural shows & exhibitions
7. Competitors Timber posts Concrete Posts Plastic posts 1)Plastic posts do not rot and are not eaten by termites hence out last timber in application. 2)GTI and Kakuzi provide treated timber which are sold in timber yards. Treated timber is more expensive and the chemicals leach into the ground hence plastic posts are better. 1)Are more expensive (1.5 times the cost of plastic posts of equivalent dimensions). 2) Take long to manufacture (At least 3 days required for the curing process). 3) Are unsuitable for coastal areas since the metal inside rusts and expands causing the concrete to crack and disintegrate. 1)EcoPost owns the largest machine in the industry which enables us to manufacture solid plastic lumber of large cross‐ section (e.g. 5 and 6 inches) for road sign applications. 2)EcoPost offers products at more competitive prices due to our low cost location.
8. Lorna Rutto Founder & Director Trained as an accountant and brings a wealth of experience from the banking industry Charles Kalama Founder & Technical Director Trained as a Biochemical Engineer and brings experience from the chemical process engineering industry Tim Onyonka Advisor Very knowledgeable on starting and running a business having himself initiated several successful startu-ps. Jessica Cherotich Advisor Has a strong background in PR & communications having worked for leading brands in Kenya Charles Murunga Accountant Has a background in Finance and accounting and handles EcoPost finances Japheth Kiteme Operations & Supply Chain Has extensive on the experience working with various collection yards and managing different groups who collect plastic for resale. Kepher Waningu Administrator Has a background in Education Team
9. Financials Assumptions 1.) Projections assume an investment of US$ 300,000 in 2013.
10. Sustainability EcoPost is an ecologically sound enterprise since it addresses the challenges of plastic pollution, urban waste management, deforestation, climate change unemployment & extreme poverty. We are committed to having a “Green” Africa free from poverty and it's this passion that has been instrumental in to our phenomenal success in our Waste recycling projects in a remarkably short span of time. We have more demand for our products than we can supply due to lower production capacity. To build sustainability, we are seeking for investment for a plastic recycling machine that will increase our manufacturing capacity 6 fold. We will also increase our plastic waste collection across the country thus providing more job opportunities and ensure we have a clean, green country. We are pursuing to secure the government tenders to fence the 33 National parks, the game reserves and forests such as Mount Kenya and Mau Forest in order to protect our biodiversity and increase our sustainability We intend to replicate the same model in the whole of Kenya then Africa and all countries with similar socio- economic set up as Kenya We hope to be the most sought after Plastic Recycling Company with the largest integrated waste management and material recovery facility in Africa.
11. Current status •2010 Chase bank Enablis Launch Pad Winners in the Green/Ecological business category. •2010 Local and International WWF Nature Challenge Award by WWF (World Wildlife Fund). •2010 SEED Awards for entrepreneurship by UNEP and IUCN. •2011 Carties Women’s Initiative Awards. •2011 Acumen Fund Fellowship. •2012 COMMON Pitch South Africa. •2012 Unreasonable Institure Fellowship. •2012 Energy Globe Awards. Future Use of funds •Set up of 10 additional Material Recovery Facilities to enhance plastic collection. • Funds will contribute towards purchase of higher capacity equipment which will boost our production and enable us meet demand. •Developing and introduction of plastic lumber for heavy structural applications for the building and construction industry e.g. roofing trusses, support beams ets. At least by yr 6.