A Kenyan company is using waste plastic to create roof tiles for homes with the support of FTSE 100 packaging company Mondi.

Eco Blocks and Tiles mixes plastic waste with sand to make affordable, durable and eco-friendly roofing tiles in Kenya. Established in 2018, the company has recycled approximately 56 tonnes of plastic waste to date. With an extra $50,000 grant from Mondi, Eco Blocks and Tiles now predicts it will be recycling 1,200 tonnes of plastic waste annually by 2024.

The business helps local plastic pickers earn a salary, eliminates plastic waste and lowers the cost of housing construction for families. Mondi is supporting the project with sales and marketing support, business guidance and strategy in addition to the financial investment.
This investment will also allow Eco Blocks and Tiles to purchase new machinery to increase production. It will also fund marketing, advertising and exhibition costs, in addition to training 100 new roof masons.

Eco Blocks and Tiles were selected by Mondi in the Lead2030 SDG 12 challenge, part of the Lead2030 programme launched by One Young World, a global forum for young leaders. Powered by some of the world’s leading businesses, Lead2030 aims to find, fund and accelerate youth-led solutions for each of the global goals and enable young innovators to scale and accelerate their impact.

Peter Oswald, CEO of Mondi, said: “Achieving a sustainable future depends on wholescale system change - driven by innovative solutions, business models and partnerships. By connecting entrepreneurial young people with leading global companies, the Lead2030 initiative creates an opportunity to address some of the world’s greatest challenges. The Eco Blocks and Tiles initiative, submitted by Hope Wakio Mwanake from Kenya, has real potential to reduce plastic waste and meet the demand for better quality housing in southern Africa through its eco-friendly roofing tiles made from recycled plastic and sand.”

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