SALUBATA

Summary

Feeding starving children through modular shoes made from recycled plastics and algal bloom

Background and Objective

Over 381 million tonnes of plastic wastes was generated in 2015 alone! In a metropolitan like Lagos, over 1200 tonnes of plastic waste is generated on a daily basis. The average American generates an average of 0.5 kg of plastic wastes daily; that is equivalent of a standard shoe! I grew up in a third world country that prioritized rapid industrialization above environmental sustainability with the end result of highly unacceptable levels of toxic industrial wastes and effluent emissions. I began to feel the hardship they had experienced for many years. Then, it looked like I could do nothing significant about this; I however learnt over time that it was well within my capacity to help the situation in the least. I also realized that this menace spans from my community in Lagos to countries like South Africa, India, Brazil and even to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, thus, not only a Nigerian problem but a global one.

Actions and Implementation

• Manufacturing • Product designing • Marketing • Quality assurance • CSR • Research and Development • Distribution • Customer Relationship Management • Procurement

Outcomes and Impacts

5% of the profit on every shoe sold is dedicated to feeding children in underserved communities.

Sustainability and Scalability

We have design rights on our invention and currently have a pending patent. We would open up opportunities for franchises by the coming year (2020).

Gender and Social Inclusivity

Innovative Initiative

In a year, we would have contributed $4,464,000 of our profits to the cause of feeding over 1,100,000 starving children, and converted over 160,000 tonnes of plastics to wearable shoes!

Resources devoted to delivery

Our budget is $5,000,000. We have pending investment from the UK Department for International Trade

Conclusion

Current limits • Limited manufacturing capacity – we now have manufacturing partners who can now mass-produce 50,000 shoes/day • Global market penetration – we are partnering with a global marketing agency Strategic issue • International Trade Barriers – we are selling franchises and have a pending patent and design rights