KENYA: Dow invests in Mr. Green Africa to recycle plastic waste

Packaging solutions provider Dow Chemical is once again supporting plastic waste recycling in Africa. The Michigan-based multinational announced an investment in Mr. Green Africa. “This is the first investment of its kind for Dow Chemical in Africa. It is part of a Series B round of financing,” says Dow Chemical.

Mr. Green Africa, based in Nairobi, Kenya, processes plastic waste into reusable products. Products that are sold to industrial customers for sustainable use. Dow is confident that its investment will help Mr. Green Africa’s existing waste management systems become more efficient in sorting, collecting, recycling and reusing plastic in new applications.

Recycling 90,000 tons of plastics in four years

Dow is including its partnership with Mr. Green Africa as part of its “Stop the Waste” initiative, which aims to collect, reuse or recycle one million tons of plastic waste worldwide by 2030. Beginning in November 2019, the collaboration between the two companies is collecting and reusing at least 30 tons of plastic waste every two months in Kenya.

Over the next four years, Dow and Mr. Green Africa will work to collect and recycle 90,000 tons of plastic waste in Kenya as well as other African countries to be identified. “We will also develop more traceable, fair trade, high quality post-consumer recycled (PCR) products that can be used in the production of new flexible plastic packaging,” Dow says.

In addition to reducing soil and water pollution, these various projects will provide direct employment opportunities for approximately 200 young people on the continent. The actions implemented will also impact the lives of 5,000 waste pickers and more than 250,000 consumers who will participate in source separation programs.