Takapesa

Using currently available social media and financial technology tools, Takapesa will incentivise plastic bag manufacturers to produce reusable and recyclable plastic bags eliminating the production of thin film single use bags.

Our solution will value the delivery of used clean plastics back to recycling plants of which value will be shared with the users, the distribution networks, and the recycling plants in order to minimise costs and maximise revenues. 

Further, plastic bags make for good advertising channels, and combined with smart phone technologies, the whole network can participate in developing, consuming  and analysing content delivered on the bags, which will allow us to quantify the reach of each bag, and thus the advertising value.

Applied globally, this solution will aid in the reduction of plastic waste, provide new sources of income for all parties in the supply chain and consolidate advertising real estate existing on all bags.

The lack of a well thought out and implemented incentive structure that ensures used plastic is viewed as a valuable resource, instead of as waste, is missing. Further, due to the fragmented nature of plastic bag manufacturing, utilisation and policies across different countries, it has been difficult to enforce bans on thin film plastic bags since there may seem to be zero immediate benefits to everyone involved.

This paper by UNEP succinctly outlines the issues at hand: https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstr... 

This solution serves to reduce environmental pollution, replace sources of profit for manufacturers and act as a means for directing behaviour while acting as a source of income for plastic bag users.

We will develop software to be based on mobile phones and on the cloud, which will track plastic utilisation, enable the utilisation of the plastic bag distribution network for the recovery of used plastic bags, provide a means of tracking the monetary income and savings for plastic bag users, incentivise plastic bag manufacturers to produce higher quality bags designed for reuse and eventual recycling.

We will also seek create a marketplace that brings together plastic bag manufacturers and advertising agencies in order to design and utilise the advertising real estate on these bags to maximum effect, ensuring that most of the income obtained from advertising goes towards offsetting the costs of remunerating the entire supply chain involved in ensuring the system works, of which we could also utilise blockchain technology in order to be truly global, allowing for a p2p or even b2b marketplace for the advertising space distributed via these bags, and which could also allow for users to "invest" in the plastics industry.

This solution seeks to consolidate and utilise value attached to plastic bags, distributing the value equitably to all parties involved in the manufacture, distribution and use of these plastic bags, and finally the integration of the new plastic distribution channels in the collection of used plastic.

We will utilise software to glue the plastic bag ecosystem, and consolidate the advertising opportunity. This software can integrate blockchain technology and AI in order to optimise global utilisation.

The value of plastic bag advertising is evident when you travel through Tanzania. Back in time when Rambo was "the Star", there were reusable plastic bags that were manufactured and branded with the picture and name of Rambo. This led to some regions of Tanzania naming all plastic bags as "Rambo's". This is documented in this tweet: https://twitter.com/lucytaylor... What may not be documented is in some regions within Tanzania, the same bags are known as "Pepsi's" or even "Marlboro's". We all know where those names come from.

This is evidence that advertising real estate on plastic bags can have a wide reach and that a consolidation of this space can fetch a good price which would then go towards subsidising the manufacture of high quality reusable and recyclable plastic bags.

We have not started serving anyone currently. We intend to serve the entire population of East Africa within one year, and the rest of the world within five years.

Our goal is to eliminate the manufacture and utilisation of single use plastic bags within East Africa within the next year, change the attitudes and behaviour of manufacturers and users of plastics, and create new avenues of engagement with plastics.

The greatest barrier will be technical, since developing software that is secure and accessible will be our main challenge which also implies that we will need to have an adequate financing model in order to attract top talent. The next great challenge will be pushback from existing players in the plastics and advertising industries.

We intend to develop funding and financing models that will allow us to attract top talents in the areas of software development, product marketing and social sciences in order to fully address our solution. We have several developers and a scientist under our wing, but will need to grow beyond our current capacity.

Wageni Technologies is driving the development and will spearhead the implementation of this solution, but will be partnering with a plastics recycling agency located here in Kenya, and will be looking to partner with the larger supermarket chains in Kenya.

Still at conceptual stage, but have discussed the solution with a friend working in the recycling industry in Kenya, and a software developer based in Tanzania who are all willing to partner in this solution.

I have a BSc. Biology (Conservation Option), from the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton, and thus have a deep appreciation of the issues of waste and contamination of the environment. I am also the founder and been working as the Business Developer for Wageni Technologies and thus have an extended view of technology.

My friend in the recycling industry is currently setting up a countrywide collection network for plastic to be recycled, and we have been discussing the shortfalls of such networks and the opportunities available.

None so far.

The greatest impact of this solution will be the elimination of all forms of plastic waste henceforth, starting with the plastic carrier bags. Revenue from advertising, and savings from the optimisation of used plastic collection networks will be icing on the cake.

The main source of funding will be through selling advertising space, but it is also possible to obtain funds from the plastic bag users as a fee for utilising our network.

Solve will enable us to fine tune our solution, access a larger audience for our solution, and access to adequate financing. Though a larger audience may be adequate to start the ball rolling on a global scale.

UNEP to provide the scientific background, Google, Facebook and Twitter as the premier global advertisers.