Reform Africa

Giving plastic a second life while improving the lives of women and children
e_sponsors
2021 SEED Low Carbon Awards; IKI BMU
Sector
Waste Management
e_city
Mpigi
e_country
Uganda

Reform Africa locally produces upcycled strong, waterproof bags and accessories that last a lifetime. The enterprise buys plastic bags collected by women and youth, sorts, cleans and fuses them to produce a stronger material for bags and accessories. These bags are sold to tourists, expats, corperate companies and parents.

For every bag, Reform Africa gives a school kid from a rural area in Uganda one bag for free. The enterprise makes its margin from selling bags to tourists at a higher price that its production.

Eco-Inclusive Impacts
Reform Africa changes plastic waste into sustainable, waterproof and durable bags. Reform Africa conducts subsidy programmes targeting rural school kids and supports them with school bags and menstrual pads allowing them to go to school regularly with dignity.
  • Decent jobs for women, especially single mothers and youth
  • Increasing self-reliance for familes by providing training and capacity building opportunity on plastic upcycled skills
  • Supporting education with school bags subsidy programme and reusable pads donation to school kids in different rural communities
  • 1 ton of plastic waste collected from the environment and recycled into bags and different accessories every two months, over 2,000 tons a year
  • Preventing other effects of poor plastic waste management such as pipe clogging and flooding during rainy season and the toxic gasses
  • +10,000 tons equivalence of CO2 emission saved per year
  •  Increasing family income with women and youth employment and engagement in the product supply chain such as waste collection and bags production
  • Improving local economy of rural communities

 

Partners

Reform Africa adds value to trash by transforming plastic waste into fashionable upcycled bags and accessories. For every bag, it gives a school kid from a rural area in Uganda one bag for free. The enterprise engages single mothers in free, hands-on training in upcycling.

Smart Girls Foundation and Reform Africa have donated over 1000 reusable pads to rural school girls. This prevents them from missing their school during their period.

Because International provided a ten-week intensive mentorship program, Pursuit Incubator, to Reform Africa. They are also partners in products sales through Grow Five.