What we do
Our focus
At the forefront of social entrepreneurship: developing sustainable products through green solutions and advocacy.
Nature has existed for millions of years and has been managing its own ecosystem where animals feed on each other and other organisms. This has created a perfect food chain cycle for its sustenance for centuries. In the past 50 years this perfect food chain cycle is being interfered with by the emergence of the petrochemical industry.
The harmonious ecosystem that feeds on itself and corrects itself through natural means is being faced with a deadly and catastrophic product created from the laboratory called “Polyethene”, the mother of plastics.
Developed and developing countries around the world are faced with flooding, diseases, climate change, loss of aquatic life, marine produce, crops and many issues all attributed to the use and disposal of plastics, Styrofoam and other materials that do not have an end-of-life into the environment.
Statistics on plastics
Where plastic ends up
The OECD Global Plastics Outlook found 460 million metric tons of plastics were used in 2019, and plastic waste more than doubled to 353 million metric tons.
■ 9% recycled ■ 19% incinerated ■ ~50% sanitary landfills ■ 22% dumpsites, open burning or leaked
22,000
Metric tonnes of plastic waste Ghana produces annually (estimate)
73%
Of plastic in Ghana effectively ends up as waste after use (EPA)
2%
Is recycled in Ghana; 19% is re-used (EPA)
The problem and our answer
Two materials, two solutions
Single-use plastics
After decades of introducing the 3R's (Re-Use, Replace, and Recycle) as a measure of addressing single-use plastics, the environment is still at risk. Polythene (plastics) takes about 400 years to degrade, and this is dangerous to the environment and a key cause of pollution to water bodies in Ghana and the whole of Africa.
Cassava-based bags
Eco-Solve Innovations Africa (EIA) is introducing the 4th R (Return to Earth) using degradable technology from natural raw materials (cassava) to produce an alternative product that has the same characteristics as polythene bags. These bags biodegrade into compost when disposed on landfill sites or when buried in the ground within 4–6 months.
Styrofoam
Polystyrene is the industry name for the plastic foam most of us call “Styrofoam”. It is made with petroleum and a number of other non-sustainable, toxic and heavily polluting ingredients. It is essentially not recyclable, and once it goes to the landfill it virtually never breaks down. It takes about 1,000 years to break down into small particles which are more dangerous to the environment and marine life, and it leaches toxins into foods and water bodies. Styrofoam has been banned in many places all over the world.
Sugarcane bagasse
Bagasse, the dry fibrous residue left of sugarcane, takes less energy to make and produces fewer carbon emissions. Sugarcane fibre is biodegradable and environmentally friendly: when disposed of or sent to landfill it converts into compost within 4–6 months. It has all the characteristics, with much better health benefits, of single-use packages for food and other products.
Our approach
How we create change
01
Research and surveys
Eco-Solve Innovations Africa has gathered a lot of data after piloting our products with supermarkets, retail outlets, seedling producers, agriculture farmers, waste management companies and eco-friendly organizations within the Ghanaian market since 2019. A diverse team of sales, marketing and research professionals, including university lecturers, engineers and chemical biologists, has been engaged through our team of experts.
02
Advocacy and exhibitions
Eco-Solve Innovations Africa is very keen on education and change management, since it is very difficult to change a habit or a taste for a product. We organize workshops for schools, local communities and experts, and public exhibitions and seminars to introduce the youth and the next generation to alternative products that are environmentally friendly to both plants and marine animals.
03
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
Eco-Solve Innovations Africa has been engaging with sustainable corporate organizations and brands to introduce “Biodegradable Replacement Programmes”. These programmes encourage and support research and development in attaining the UN sustainable goals by replacing single-use plastic bags and Styrofoam packages with biodegradable alternatives in supermarkets, grocery shops, hotels, restaurants and general food vendors within the country. The programme also seeks partners to set up manufacturing plants for cassava-based biodegradable carrier bags and sugarcane packages for the West African market.
04
Pilot projects
Eco-Solve Innovations Africa has been partnering local and international organizations in conducting pilot projects to help with change management and acceptability studies for biodegradable products. The World Economic Forum's Global Plastic Action Partnership selected Ghana for a pilot project in 2019, under the initiative of establishing a circular economy framework for the plastics sector in Ghana. Eco-Solve's cassava-based biodegradable carrier bag was identified as a sustainable and environmentally friendly replacement for plastics and has been selected for a 5-year pilot project in Ghana.
