Online Nomination #29
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Nomination from:
ORIBAGS INNOVATIONS (U) LTD/
Climate Change/Environment
Demonstrating the Production and
use of Eco paper bags for
Environmental sustainability.
Plot 42A Mukabya Road,Nakawa
Industrial Area,P.OBOX 26187
Kampala,Uganda
Kampala
East Africa
00256
Uganda
+256774510325
+256414286695
+256774510325
orikirizarusia@yahoo.co.uk
National Government; Private
Sector
1. Description
On 1st September 2007, the ban on polythene bags commonly known
as "Kavera" in Uganda took effect. Uganda joined her neighbors in the
East African community in banning a material that has wreaked havoc
on the environment. It is now illegal to import these polythene bags
and their use is being phased out. The polythene bags had become a
major environmental hazard and a menace for many years especially
in both urban and rural settings where mushrooming commercial
activities increased the demand for "kaveera" for packaging among
other uses.
The phasing out of the "kaveera" created a need for an alternative
packaging material and shopping bags. The "kaveera" had been
popular as a carrier bag while shopping both in the rural and urban
areas. In 2008, Oribgas Innovations initiated a project for small scale
manufacture of handmade eco paper bags using local materials like
agricultural wastes including wheat and rice straw, pineapple leaves,
elephant grass, waste paper and other natural fibers like banana and
cotton waste.
Oribags innovations is a private enterprise operating in
Uganda,Kampala. Our vision is to be the leading producer of
environmentally friendly products/services in the region. The company
derives its experience from its founders in particular Mrs.Orikiriza
Rusia Bariho who started making beads from local materials while still
a student in 2005 .This initiative grew out of research and
development started since 2007. These paper bags have become a
good alternative to the environmentally hazardous polythene bags and
have demostrated potential for employment creation for many
Ugandans especially women and youth.
The project has since been supported by the Uganda Industrial
Research Institute (UIRI)- a government research body under its
incubation programme.Despite the limited capacity, the project has
demonstrated sound environmental responsibility and the potential of
small innovative projects for employment creation. Oribags purchases
these materials locally from farmers and other groups and proceses
them at an incubation centre at the Uganda Industrial Research
Institute .Currently, products are marketed locally. In the near future,
we intend to export some of the products to other countries in East
Africa,to America and Europe.The company hopes to acquire its own
home with in five years.
2. Main Partners
Our key stake holders include the Uganda Industrial Research Institute
(UIRI) that has supported and incubated us for product improvement
and marketing.UIRI provided seed funding for this project in addition
to technical assistance under its business incubation programme.UIRI
has also sponsored us for various trade fairs where we have marketd
the eco paper bags and created environmental awareness.
The Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited (UWEAL) has
made graet contributions for constant entrepreneurship and business
oriented trainings. UWEAL has also served as a constant inspiration
and motivation by recognizing the company’s entrepreneurial efforts
through its “Rising star Award.”
The New vision and DFCU Bank: The 2010 nationwide search for
women achievers has given Oribags additional capital through its prize
of Ugshs. 2,000,000 when Orikiriza Rusia Bariho one of the company
proprietors was awarded as the second best woman Achiever of the
year.
NTV Uganda-a national media group: by featuring the company and its
works in its latest environmental programme “Eco Talk”: Technologies
that save the environment”.
3. Achievements
The project has created awareness all over the country. We have so
far atteed over 15 exhibition fairs in the country and in the
neighbourhood countries in Rwanda and Southern Sudan.
The project creates direct employment each year. Currently the
project employs, 10 workers who are youth and women. With increase
capacity, the initiative hopes to employ 20 workers by 2012. Most of
these youth are out of school youth who cannot afford to go to
college. Some are unemployed mothers who are idle at home, and
thus, decided to create additional income by working with Oribags.
Oribags also creates increase in income of women who augment their
monthly wages when they enter into reselling the eco paper bags. We
normally give a standard 10% discount for women who become
resellers. These women will either sell at the suggested retail price or
overprice a little.
As it continues to expand, this project will help to provide
employment to its suppliers and the people in the community. With
increased capacity the project has potential of creating employment
for over 300 people. The project also outsources tasks which are not
directly related to paper bags making. Thus, it will time overtime
provide jobs for carpenters, painters, graphic artists, photographers,
printers, drivers, freight forwarders to support daily operations.
Currently Oribags purchases raw materials from 4 farmers who own
families of 7 people each. The project currently employs 10 people
who also support their families .We have so far trained
4. Sustainability
Oribags is focused on building a team of hard working talented
individuals and communities to keep the project focused on this most
productive and profitable industry. The local availability of raw
materials provides great sustainability for this project. Our raw
materials are locally available and through our production is on the
other hand a recommeded method of proper waste disposal by
recycling. Traditionally the challenge is that no single firm in Uganda
is commercially involved with primary packaging production
technologies through exploitation of indigenous raw materials such as
waste paper,cotton waste, banana fiber, pineapples peels, baggase
and sisal.
The Government’s commitment on ban of low density polythene bags
commonly known as “Kaveera”as packaging materials provides great
an opportunity to gain wider audience as local innovative
manufactures of biodegradable and environemntally friendly
packaging bags.
The project builds the capacity of local entrepreneurs especially youth
and women, through training.Over 1000 youth and women have been
trained in this technology.It is hoped that in futre this project can be
owned by various communities to produce products for
themdselves.this requires adquate capacity building.
5. Innovation
The project utilizes locally available materials which rather are
considered as waste like waste paper, pineapple crowns, and rice
straws to output products of high value. Also it involves local
participation of grassroots communities to develop the products. It
also presents a novel method of proper waste disposal through reuse
and recycling. The project also aims at introducing, implementing and
promoting innovative approaches for environmental sustainability
while putting commercial considerations into account. The project is
innovative in terms of addressing new issues or themes, utilizing new
methods and technologies and/or involving new and disadvantaged
target groups to alleveiate poverty from communities.
6. Replicability
Oribags recognizes primary packaging production to be a new niche
and the best prospect for Uganda in the medium to long term. It is
against this background that efforts are being geared to this project so
as to specialize in producing complete ready-made primary packages
for end-users. This industry has great prospects to grow as local
production of these materials is abundant. The whole of the country is
engaged in agriculture and there for materials is available country
wide. Small paper plant can be established in each of the districts.Our
neighboeirng country Rwanda already passed a ban on the use of
polythene bags. Our recent exhibition in Kigali Rwanda indicated great
need for this technology. The project has potential of replication in all
the East African Countries. But first in Uganda, replication is possible
through
·
Establishment eco paper bags pilot plant that will serve as
training plant for private and public actors for paper and paper bags
making that should beat 40tonnes of pulp per day and employ over 50
people
·
Diversification of products
·
Commercialisation of
products on small scale
·
Exploration of export markets in the East African region,Europe
and America
·
Training of over 1000 youth and women in paper making
technology as an entrepreneurial skill.
All these can be achieved through
·
Acquisition of modern paper bags making equipment and
machinery.Currently the production process is labour intesive
·
Assistance with the capacity building and training in modern
paper making technology
·
Support to influence the Ugandan market realise the need for
environmentally friendly packaging bags.
·
Financial assistance to demostrate the project to a wider
market
·
Market study for products in other neighbouring countries,
·
feasibility study of the project in other districts of Uganda,
·
Availability of skill and manpower,
·
Lobby more government support to grow the project and
create more awareness
7. Contribution
Women and youth Empowerment – mostly women and youth work
with Oribags. This year,the project employs 10 people.With increased
capacity,the project hopes to create employment for 20 people by
2012. We have also conducted training for over 1000 women and
youth in in this skill and setting up small businesses .The project also
provides additional income to women farmers who supply materials for
processing.
Employment for Especially abled –some processes of Paper bags
making do not require physical prowess. In Oribags, we can employ
specially abled persons such as vertically challenged or deaf-mute
people since most of the training done are demonstrations.
Gender Sensitive –The project hires people regardless of their sexual
orientation. We employ men, women, orphans or even those affected
by HIV/AIDS. As long as they can do the job, they’re hired.
Direct Employment - At present, the project is employing 10 regular
staff including 2 Plant workers. It plans to hire additional 10 staff
when it sets up apaper bags factory .
Most of these are out of school youth who cannot afford to go to
college. Some are unemployed mothers who are idle at home, and
thus, decided to create additional income by working for us.
The company will also create increase in income of women wanting to
augment their monthly wages when they enter into Oribags as
resellers. The company will give a standard 10% discount based on its
retail price when they become resellers. These women will either sell
at the suggested retail price or overprice a little.
As it continues to expand, the project will help to provide employment
to its suppliers and the people in its community. The company
outsources tasks which are not directly related to paper bags making.
Thus, it will time overtime hire carpenters, masons, painters, graphic
artists, photographers, printers, drivers, freight forwarders to support
its daily business operations.
Oribags provide skills to its workers which can never be taken away
from them. A week’s training at the plant will produce a skilled worker
who can do most of the techniques used in producing paper bags.
Previously out-of-school youth, have been able to set aside some
money and enrol in vocational schools in the evening while working at
the plant by day. Also we have often connected them to benefit from
short course trainings provided by UIRI, our incubator.
Unemployed mothers who used to ask milk-money from their in-laws
can now buy their own milk for their babies, and set aside money for
their daily needs. The constant quest for excellence by the company
has also imparted to its workers the values of: orderliness, efficiency,
teamwork, punctuality and thriftiness.
The project produces environmentally friendly products, the
biodegradable paper bags. Also the project promotes the proper
methods of disposal of waste through reuse and recycling
8. Awareness
At present, our major arm of creating awareness is through trade
fairs and exhibitions which we normally attend courtesy of UIRI’s
support. They are staged mostly in Kampala, but some are held
outside like in Mbale, Mbarara and Jinja. Recently UIRI also sponsored
us for international exhibition in Kigali, Rwanda.
The project has also organised various awareness workshops targeting
the entire population promoting the use of biodegradable paper bags.
We have also hosted many visitors who visit the small production plant
time over time thus creating awareness..
As usual we intend to consolidate our participation in exhibitions both
locally and internationally and this is possible with support from
Uganda Industrial Research Institute and the south south cooperation.
The project has created more awareness through television
presentations. Recently the project was aired on NTV Uganda,a
regional television on its environmental program “ eco talk”
technologies that save the environment. The project intends to
develop its own website through which we outreach more people. The
project has also featured in various media including, the new vision,
the daily monitor in Uganda.
Having acquired the necessary capacity we intend to acquire an
advertising van in the city Kampala always moving around advocating
for the use of biodegradable packaging bags as paper bags made by
Oribags branded “made in Uganda.” Oribags will also strengthen its
public relations and marketing department.
9. Other
The project is now seeking partnership,nationally, regionally and
internationally to advance and upscale this project.The technology is
feasible and this has already been demostratated.Though this project
is still nascent,it has created impact and has demostrated great
environmental rensponsibility and if supported it has potential to
contribute graetlt to sustainable development including employment
creation.Currently the project requires about $600,000 to up scale this
project and create more impact.The production is currently very labour
intensive. we currently use rudimentally methodsin the production
process.these funds will assist as aquire modern equipment and
machinery to boost this innovation.