Transforming Trash: MRD Shows Us The Way

Did you know, while we are removing 30+ tons of waste from the environment every month we are also stopping clothing from leaving the market as waste?
🥁 Meet our Materials Research & Development team, an incredibly innovative, courageous & optimistic bunch!
Paul, Kennie, Maxwell, Jamal, Mary, Sam, James + apprentices Hadija, Rahma, Habiba, Shawana, Najat, Marijanata, Sharifa, Hadija, Meri, Amshetu, Mariam, Nafisa, Musah, Somed, Sayibu, Wahab, Latifah & Humu operate out of our Recycling & Decomposition center, located on the edge of Kantamanto & Old Fadama. Here they have been busy making new materials & products from post-consumer clothing waste including speakers, shelves, sound insulation panels, tables, mops & more!
This is an overview of our Cassava (fiber)Board, a hyper localized manufacturing process resulting in a versatile material with dozens of applications & 0️⃣ harmful byproducts (our glue uses local biodegradable ingredients + excess can be cycled back into the process). It’s taken 2 years to perfect the recipe, testing performance in our space & ensuring that it’s safe, we’ve even begun certifying our Cassava Board for fire + mold resistance with Ghana Standards Authority ⭐️
Not only are we transforming textile waste into useful & valuable products that can replace virgin wood, foam, plastic & more, we’ve ALSO built our own equipment with circular principles, working with fabricators in Galloway Market to develop machinery with scrap metals & electronics. Everyone working in “recycling” or “circularity” must think holistically about the materials, energy & byproducts that go into their innovations, because the product is only as sustainable as the process.
On that point, MRD pays retailers a fair price for their “waste.” MRD has collected over 32,000kg (168,000+ items) that would otherwise have left the market as waste, investing USD 25,000+ back into the community. We are also developing this new material economy in a way that eliminates the need for head-carrying, creating alternative job pathways for women formerly working as kayayei.
It’s almighty awesome! And this is just the beginning. ♻️🔨💡
#theorfoundation
Originally posted to Instagram

[@emmanuelholomah3408]

Thank you so much for these information. Very helpful for my thesis design. Kenie to the world 😘😘😘😘