MIT Solve

Solution Overview & Team Lead Details

Solution name.

Biodegradable Packaging

Provide a one-line summary of your solution.

Biodegradable and environmentally friendly packaging made from banana waste.

What specific problem are you trying to solve?

A) Biodegradable packaging

We do provide 100% biodegradable packaging which is natural and chemical-free. The most available packaging material is made from wood-based plastics which are causing much destruction and leading to climate change. Wood-based packaging causes deforestation. The biodegradable packaging takes only 180 days to decay completely. From the market research conducted 60% of the population is aware of the climatic changes we are witnessing and is ready to use biodegradable packaging as a way of protecting our environment.

B) waste management

For every ton of banana fruit harvested, approximately 4 tons of biomass wastes (e.g., leaf, pseudo-stem, rotten fruit, peel, fruit-bunch-stem, rhizome, etc.) are produced. This means, for every cycle of banana fruit production, 4 times biomass wastes are also produced.

Put differently, 1 ha of the banana farm could produce about 220 tons of biomass waste usually disposed of into lakes and rivers or simply burnt. If not properly managed, these can pose a problem to the environment and if dumped in wet conditions or burnt can produce greenhouse gas.

Elevator pitch

What is your solution?

We upcycle banana wastes into biodegradable packaging bags using semi-manual technology which is chemical free and environmentally friendly. We Process the leaves and pseudo stem which are left after the harvest of the banana fruit into packaging products.

Who does your solution serve? In what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Eco-friendly packaging

In Africa, Kenya specifically it's hard to find packaging papers that are environmentally friendly. Most of the items are packaged in plastics which has been widely discouraged due to the effects that come with it. Banana fibers have high strength and produce papers that are UV and light-resistant, high tensile strength, and solvent resistant.

Affordable packaging

The biodegradable packaging is locally made with local material, therefore, there are 20% more affordable compared to imported biodegradable packaging.

Extra income for the small-scale farmers.

We provide extra income to small-scale farmers ( women ) through the sale of the banana pseudo stem which used to be thrown away.

Eradicating plastic.

The use of plastic has been associated with various health effects and environmental concerns. Biodegradable packaging is the way to go.

How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?

The team comprises technologists, environmentalists, and entrepreneurs who have had first-hand experience. Environmentalists have the environment at heart. Reducing the carbon gases in the atmosphere is their passion. Entrepreneurs who identify the gap and drive the company towards success. Technologists develop the technology to ease the process of production.

Our executive leader, Rose Sikulu is highly passionate and well-versed in the process of biodegradable packaging production having had first-hand experience with traditional paper production in the Panpaper industry. The passion for developing an alternative environment-friendly paper led her into studying industrial processes and chemistry which works hand in hand with developing natural items such as dyes for coloring the biodegradable packaging depending on different needs.

Edwin Wanjala is a highly-ranked technologist equipped with analytical and high-end operational skills to oversee the overall production process. In his tenure as the chief operating officer, the position that he still holds up to date, successfully designed and conducted product tests to ensure the final products meet the expected quality standards.

Sandra Mulunda, an all-time award winner of the County Environment Conservation Challenge, is yet another significant resourceful person to the organization. The broad experience she gained while working as a Volunteer at National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has enabled the organization to realize a significant transformation from an income-based to an environment conservation-driven organization.

What steps have you taken to understand the needs of the population you want to serve?

We have conducted market research across major cities in Kenya such as Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret, Mombasa, and Nakuru. This research helped us identify customer pain points and helped refine our value proposition in the gains we can provide. Through this research, we found that the high cost of biodegradable packaging is a major challenge as most of the imported biodegradable packaging papers are charged five times the normal paper. The ban on plastic in our country also created a gap for more sustainable packaging. The product has been received well on the market.

Which aspects of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Taking action to combat climate change and its impacts (Sustainability)

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Pilot: An organization deploying a tested product, service, or business model in at least one community

In what city, town, or region is your solution team located?

Nairobi, Kenya

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Rose Machuma Sikulu

More About Your Solution

If your solution has a website or an app, provide the link here:

https://fibertextgreenpaper.co.ke/

What makes your solution innovative?

Fibertext produces biodegradable packaging bags from banana waste that has originally been dumped on the road. The packaging takes only 180 days to decay completely. It can be catalyzed through increased solar dryers which shorten the time the pulp takes to dry up.

What are your impact goals for the next year, and how will you achieve them?

We look forward to upcycling 11 tons of waste every week. The banana waste will be sourced from small-scale farmers and produced in biodegradable bags. We hope to produce more than 2000 medium-sized packaging bags from each batch.
Reducing the use of plastic packaging by 30% through producing affordable environmental friendly packaging,

We also hope to keep emission reductions lower by 53%. When the agri-banana wastes are left outside to decay, a lot of methane gas has emitted into the environment which poses a danger to the environment.

We hope to reach over 2000 clients. According to the market research conducted we realized that many people are aware of the effects caused by plastic use and therefore there are willing to use the product. We are working with Kenya Climate innovation center which markets and fosters growth for products that protect the climate.

Describe the core technology that powers your solution.

We leverage traditional, natural technology to combat banana Agri waste and provide affordable, environmentally friendly packaging bags. We purchase banana Agri waste from farmers and then extract fibers from the waste. After extracting fibers we make pulp from the fibers and then dry the pulp in the sun. The paper is then transformed into suitable different packaging sizes. Bananas are the alternative sources of fibers that are highly sustainable as they are all seasoned and take only 8 months to mature. The production process reduces greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere by 63%

Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:

Manufacturing Technology

In which countries do you currently operate?

Kenya

How many people does your solution currently serve, and how many do you plan to serve in the next year? If you haven’t yet launched your solution, tell us how many people you plan to serve in the next year.

Currently serving 500

In one years time we are aiming at 2000

What barriers currently exist for you to accomplish your goals in the next year?

Financial: We have gathered funds and constructed the facility site and hybrid solar dyers. We are, however, struggling to purchase paper production equipment and pay for personnel to aid the production process.

Logistics: The cost of transporting banana pseudo stems is high. This makes it difficult to transport the inputs that are needed for production.

Labor-intensive. Most of the production processes are manual Loading and offloading pseudo stems, and fibers and the paper folding into packaging is done manually. We hope to automate the process of extracting fibers from the banana pseudo stem and automatically folding of the paper into the required packaging.

Your Team

Business Model