Startup Story
Discarded plastic waste is a problem for the planet and for humankind as a whole, and the need to find sustainable solutions to transforming that waste into useful products has never been greater. In South Africa, ecopreneur Tessa O’ Halloran, founder of plasticity. is playing her part in finding those solutions.
LoA chatted to the environmentally conscious founder of plasticity. Tessa O’ Halloran, to find out more….
What does your company do?
At plasticity. we create value by upcycling discarded plastic into functional and unique lifestyle products and accessories such as cosmetics bags, pouches of all sizes, planters and toiletry bags.
“plasticity. is inspired by the definition of plasticity in biological terms: the adaptability of an organism to changes in its environment or differences between its various habitats.”
What inspired you to start your company?
I have always been inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of Africa, and the resourcefulness of people who want to make a living for themselves. From a young age I've been aware of my personal environmental footprint and as a creative person, I've always been a 'maker'. So, I began experimenting with making things from waste materials. I combined my environmental concern and creativity and began making things from the discarded plastic I found around me. This organically grew into the small business I have today.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
plasticity. products are special because they are handmade in a small studio, in a small town called Graaff-Reinet in the Karoo. We create our products from discarded plastic we find locally and also get donations of discarded plastic from the community around us, and around South Africa. The products in our colour collection are completely unique! A lot of the plastic we use is quite 'scrappy' to begin with and would otherwise be very difficult to add to the recycling chain, and we're able to use it. We believe in the value this overlooked waste material holds, and I think we could all replace a lot of our everyday things with an upcycled plastic alternative.
We use eco-friendly organic hemp as the lining for our lined products which is a fabric I really love. I'm excited to explore the world of natural dyeing techniques and add more colour to our products this way. We can create customized products where you can choose the colours you'd like in your upcycled plastic design, as well as the colour of the organic hemp lining.
“I have always been inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of Africa, and the resourcefulness of people who want to make a living for themselves.”
“I combined my environmental concern and creativity and began making things from the discarded plastic I found around me. This organically grew into the small business I have today.”
Tell us a little about your team
My team comprises of myself, my mom, Bendoline and Raymond, who help us process plastic. We are a tiny team but we have had a big impact already, managing to divert over 200kgs of plastic from becoming pollution and being added to a landfill! My mom is the seamstress and I fuse the plastic to create the thicker plastic material we use as our 'fabric'. My Ouma is involved with helping us to put all of our small scraps and off-cuts into eco-bricks which are donated to a local eco-brick project so we are focused on reducing our production was as far as possible and keeping things circular. As we begin to grow, we will be able to offer work to more people in our town, and hopefully one day have a bigger upcycling operation going!
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I think my entrepreneurial journey began when I was about 9 years old, selling naartjies from a tree in our garden. I'd set up a small stall on the pavement outside our house and invited a friend to help me 'sell'. I find people who stick out from the crowd interesting, and I think we all have a dream for 'doing our own thing' somewhere in us... I love being able to dream and do and create the things I wish to see in the world. As a young woman in South Africa, I want to inspire other young woman to dream.
I moved to the Karoo with my parents at 17 years old and was home-schooling at the time, I had an idea for a small business and was making notebooks from old magazines and scrap paper by hand stitching pages together and gluing paper onto the pages. I think this was the beginning of my upcycling journey... I really wanted to make new things from old things. I'd also bought and sold MPower Cups because I believe in the product and had built in a donation element to that business venture. It's a great change to make as a woman, better for yourself and the environment and can provide dignity and freedom when gifted to a lady in need... I knew that I wanted to make a difference socially and have a positive environmental impact at the same time.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
We are working on a range of unique upcycled plasticity. handbags and are so excited to launch these nationally and perhaps even begin exporting a bit more and participating in international trade shows when we can. There is so much we can do with waste materials and I wouldn't say we are limited to using discarded plastics alone, there may be other materials I will explore along the way. One material I will definitely be further exploring is organic hemp (I absolutely love it) and have already began making naturally dyed organic hemp tea towels, I'm excited to expand this range to include more kitchen and lifestyle textiles... Watch this space :)
“We believe in the value this overlooked waste material holds, and I think we could all replace a lot of our everyday things with an upcycled plastic alternative.”
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Having the freedom to create. I absolutely love packaging an order knowing (hoping) that the client will appreciate the love and time that went into making our products. I've enjoyed the whole journey and growing more each week as there are new challenges to face. I think the biggest satisfaction is realizing that nothing is impossible and the personal growth that goes along with having your own business, it pushes you to think bigger and let go of personal fears... Looking back on even the last six months I am a completely different person. I think creating a business that you love makes you brave and gives you the encouragement to continue the dream. I hope it encourages others too.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
If you are looking to start your own venture, I think the best advice I could give you is to trust your instincts, and to stay close to what you love. It will be a lot of work and countless 'overtime' hours, you'll have a never-ending list in your head (or at least, I do!) but it will be freeing. Stick to it through tough times and believe in your vision, one day you'll look back at the beginning at be completely amazed.
Contact or follow plasticity.
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL plasticityplastic@gmail.com
More about the founder
Tessa O’ Halloran, a young female entrepreneur and small business enthusiast, is the founder of plasticity. She's created a brand committed to transforming waste materials into useful, and beautiful, products. She believes in the power of the circular economy and empowering women. Their products are a combination of organic hemp fabric and upcycled plastic and they currently have two collections; a classic chic collection and a colour collection. www.plasticity.co.za
Why LoA loves it….
At LoA, we are passionate about women entrepreneurs who are not just making a profit, but who are also making a real and lasting difference to the planet we live on. With all the environmental challenges facing the Earth right now, we all have to play our part in ensuring it is sustainable, and that means finding innovative and practical solutions to dealing with our waste - particularly plastic waste. That challenge is one that ecopreneur Tessa O’ Halloran has risen to, building a business that is turning waste plastic into something useful and needed. South Africa and Africa as a whole, need more women entrepreneurs like her who see a problem and innovate to find a replicable solution that can make a difference both locally and globally. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo of Lionesses of Africa