Gjenge Makers is building material from plastic waste
Location:
Nairobi, Kenya
Sector:
Construction
Jobs created:
152 since 04/2022
Impact:
25t recycled in 2023
Financial and venture building support since 2022.
The Challenge
Plastic pollution and housing crisis
Gjenge Makers is driven by a profound concern for two pressing challenges: the pervasive problem of plastic pollution and the dire Kenyan housing crisis. Each day, Nairobi alone generates a staggering 500 tons of plastic waste. Meanwhile, over 2 million households in Kenya lack access to adequate housing, leaving countless families trapped in substandard conditions.
WE ARE
PAVING THE WAY
CONCRETE ALTERNATIVE
The innovation
Plastic Waste as Building Material
THE STANDOUT
Why Gjenge Makers?
Gjenge Makers convinces with inventive spirit, an incredibly motivated team and an insanely resilient founder. Already during our first visit, we noticed a yellow part of the press that somehow had a different texture than the rest of the machine. When asked, the founder, Nzambi, explained that it was an old excavator arm that she had bought at the scrap yard and used for a different purpose because she had no other parts available. She also told us that she designed and built all her machines herself. This entrepreneurship convinces us.
AFFORDABLE SOLUTION
Key Facts
Start-up Impact
Economics
- Stable earnings in production for women and youth groups
- Increased income for garbage collectors
- Stronger construction industry due to more affordable materials
Climate
- Contributing to circular economy
- Less CO2 emission during transportation
Health
- Better health through better housing and sanitation
People
Meet the Founder
Nzambi Matt
Founder & CEO of Gjenge Makers
Nzambi is a materials engineer from Nairobi with a bachelor’s degree in physics, a curious mind and boundless entrepreneurial energy. She was named Young Champion of the Earth 2020 Africa winner at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Together with a team of fellow engineers, all tired of witnessing the negative impact plastic waste was having on the Kenyan landscape, she decided to find a solution for the problem.
OUR Portfolio
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