Circular Entrepreneurship in Kenya

How do you build a circular economy for plastic that includes the informal sector?

In this episode, Keiran Smith from Mr. Green Africa explains their approach to plastic recycling, which is built on integrating the informal waste collection sector into a formal business. Keiran details their model: a decentralized system of buy-back centers that use a proprietary app for transparent payments, a processing facility that turns collected plastic into pellets, and direct partnerships with corporations who use the recycled material in their packaging.

You'll hear how Mr. Green Africa navigates the challenges of a fragmented supply chain, competes with the cost of virgin plastic, and plans to expand its operations from Kenya into other markets in East Africa.

People Keiran Smith , Co-founder at Mr. Green Africa https://www.linkedin.com/in/keiran-smith-97a23039/

Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/

Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:34 Founding Mr. Green Africa 03:04 Principles of Mr. Green Africa 04:36 Kenyan Informal Waste Sector - Changes in the Last 11 Years 07:01 Changes in the Recycling Landscape 09:32 Mr. Green Africa's Business Model 14:20 Fair Trade and Waste Entrepreneurs 17:38 Collection and Supply Channels 22:58 Waste Collection Barriers 26:22 Product Applications and Market 29:01 Global Recycling Challenges 33:06 Future Plans and Partnerships 35:12 Who Should Reach Out to Mr. Green Africa?

About Mr Green Africa integrates informal waste collectors via fair-trade principles, buying plastics and converting them into traceable, high-quality recyclates (PCR) for local and international markets. The company operates service stations (e.g., with TOTAL) where citizens can drop plastics and earn Green Points, and it is noted as the first recycling company in Africa certified as a B-Corp. Its model combines technology for operations with social impact metrics and corporate partnerships to expand collection and processing. Third-party project write-ups highlight aggregation and transformation of collected plastic into feedstock for new products.

Further Links https://www.mrgreenafrica.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/mr-green-trading-africa-kenya-ltd/ https://www.instagram.com/mrgreen_africa/

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