2022 Edition

The plastic plague in Nigeria, like in many other countries, is visible and inescapable. Even moderate rain showers in Nigeria cause flooding because the drainage system is choked with trash, most of it bags, water bottles and other items made from plastic. In one year alone, over 381 million [metric tons] of plastic waste is produced around the world and the sad part is only 9 percent of this waste is recycled. So we thought: Why can’t we convert plastic waste into shoes? The global footwear industry produces about 30 billion pairs of shoes annually. Most of the shoes are made of petroleum-based plastics, foams, and rubbers. On the flip side of the demand for new petroleum-derived material for shoes is the staggering amount of plastics that go to a landfill every year. We wanted to do something that impacts an everyday part of our lives. We’ve always seen plastic wastes around us and have always looked for ways to help the environment. We believe these customizable shoes from SALUBATA could help stamp out plastic waste in its entirety.  With our plan to target 0.0005% of the global footwear market and create revenues of 132 million dollars per year, we would be able to contribute 6.6 million of our profits to the cause of helping women every year. And we would also offset over 40 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum.