Claudia Machaieie, a Mozambican green business innovator transforming marine waste into reading glasses

December 8, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Cláudia Machaieie, founder, Sea Glasses (Mozambique)

Cláudia Machaieie is the founder of Sea Glasses in Mozambique. She is a 28-year-old with a degree in Marine Biology, a postgraduate degree in Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship, and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Biology and Conservation Ecology. She has completed several technical courses in monitoring and project management. She began her activity as a volunteer and social activist at the age of 14 and is currently a founding volunteer of SOA Mozambique and a volunteer with Solo Adventures. She has worked in public (IIP), private (SEPPA, Centro Terra Viva), and international organizations (Girl Move Academy, UN - World Food Programme) developing activities in administration, monitoring, and management of humanitarian and environmental programs. Currently, she is the social responsibility coordinator at TOPACK Mozambique.

Tshego Molefi, a pioneer transforming the waste management industry

April 6, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Moli & Mela Group, a business providing innovative and sustainable waste management solutions in South Africa

Tshego Molefi is the co-founder and Managing Director of Moli & Mela Group, a specialist waste management business in South Africa, founded in 2017 and today employing 60 people. A former journalist turned business leader, she is now an award-winning entrepreneur, fostering change in the male dominated waste management industry. She is bold, resilient, and driven by faith. Her success goes beyond business—it’s about impact. Her humble beginnings have inspired her philanthropic work, particularly in the education sector, where she uses her resources to provide education for those that are less fortunate. She believes education is indeed the key to success.

Benedita Macuácua, a Mozambican circular economy business builder creating sustainable products using crochet

August 26, 2024 Melanie Hawken

Benedita Macuácua, founder, Exclusive Crochet (Mozambique)

Exclusive Crochet is a crafts-based start-up founded by Benedita Macuácua in Mozambique. An entrepreneur and graphic designer, her company specializes in creating sustainable products using recycled materials such as knitted yarn, fabric scraps, and recycled soles. The company was inspired by the need to combat the accumulation of rubbish in Maputo, transforming solid waste into durable, quality crochet pieces. Benedita’s focus with her business is on the circular economy and promoting conscious consumption, offering a variety of products such as flip-flops, bags, beach cover-ups, and other items, each carrying a unique story and an artistic design that impresses with its beauty and positive environmental impact.

Dércia Marta Massilele, a Mozambican entrepreneur creating an innovative and affordable solution to waste management

March 21, 2024 Melanie Hawken

Dércia Marta Massilele, co-founder & manager, COSEL-Colecta Selectiva (Mozambique)

Dércia Marta Massilele is the co-founder and manager of COSEL-Colecta Selectiva, a waste management startup launched in 2019 and based in Maputo, creating jobs for five people. It’s main activity focuses on providing collection and treatment services for recyclable and common waste. Using motorless tricycles and promoting environmental awareness, Dércia and her team offer an innovative and affordable solution for micro-enterprises and private establishments.

Gloria Adaba, a Nigerian entrepreneur building an environmental consulting and recycling business with impact

November 5, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Gloria Avosuahi Adaba, CEO, Remould Global Ventures Limited (Nigeria)

Gloria Avosuahi Adaba is the CEO of Remould Global Ventures Limited in Nigeria, an environmental consulting, recycling, and exportation company started in 2020. She is a resourceful Polymer Engineer and Environmentalist, with over twelve years of proven hands-on experience in Waste Management, Recycling and Environmental projects, oil and gas technical safety, Front-End Engineering, and Detailed Engineering Design. As a result of her passion for human and environmental sustainability, and safety, and her work in organizations with Health Safety and Environmental standards; she has acquired broad international and multicultural experience in Waste Management, Recycling, and Oil and Gas Technical Safety Engineering.

Lioness Launch / South African upcycling business, plasticity, launches its latest new range of brandable products

October 15, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Tessa O’ Halloran, founder, plasticity (South Africa)

The need to find sustainable solutions to transforming discarded plastic waste into useful products has never been greater. Discarded plastic waste is a problem for the planet and for humankind as a whole. South African ecopreneur Tessa O’ Halloran, founder of plasticity, is playing her part in finding those solutions and has launched a new range of upcycled products in the form of brandable key tags and fridge magnets!

Lungile Mbhamali, an entrepreneur transforming plastic waste into handcrafted accessories in Eswatini

February 26, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Lungile Mbhamali, founder, (ban-twa-na) Craft (Eswatini)

(ban-twa-na) Craft, founded by entrepreneur Lungile Mbhamali in Eswatini, began 2017, a small, handcrafted business which collects and recycles plastic packaging waste from supporters and friends of (ban-twa-na) and also collecting in areas where waste pollution is to be found. After collecting the waste, (ban-twa-na) constructs various craft items such as bags, coin purses, key holders, laptop bags, make up pouches and also backpacks, mainly using recycled chocolate wrappers, chip packets and maize meal bags. Founder Lungile has been recognised for her entrepreneurial recycling efforts and featured in Forbes Magazine in October 2018, and also CNN. She has had the chance to train differently-abled women and men on toy and doll making, under the organization Palms for Life, has undertaken and delivered a few corporate orders, and also exported goods to South Africa and England.

Lioness Launch / South African award-winning upcycling business, Lilly Loompa, introduces recycled plastic desk to range

December 18, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Cape Town Designer and founder of Lilly Loompa, Lizl Naude (from Paarl), is known far and wide for her quirky, upcycled décor items. But more than that, she is known for her purposeful and environmentally-consciousness approach to design. In 2020, during the pandemic, she launched her “My Africa Lap Desk” made with discarded, waste material. It is currently their most popular product. In November 2022, Lizl decided to make the evolution from wood to recycled plastic for the next generation of the desk and launched it to market.

Mary Macheze, a Mozambican entrepreneur turning recycled products into a sustainable business

November 27, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Mary Macheze is a Mozambican law graduate since 2016 and registered as a lawyer, however being passionate about the environment and the rescue of traditional moral values, she set up her company, Othuka Eventos in 2019. She considers herself a young woman determined and committed to making a sustainable contribution to the environment and transmitting values that can make today's children into better people of the future. What makes her business special is that it creates and improve a relationship bond between parents and children. It also teaches about Mozambican culture, traditional games and helps to create a sustainable environment, as well as also teaching about the importance of recycling.

Lalita Purbhoo-Junggee, a sustainability focused social entrepreneur making an impact

August 7, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Eco Hustle, a business focused on innovation, sustainability and recycling in Mauritius

Lalita Purbhoo-Junggee is a social entrepreneur and award-winning business leader, and the founder and director of Eco Hustle in Mauritius, a business focused on innovation, sustainability and recycling. Lalita studied business entrepreneurship at UNISA and the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame and, she is currently pursuing her MBA. She’s a member at the Obama Foundation, serving as country coordinator and she also chairs on the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) regional committee as Sustainable Coordinator. Lalita is a multi-award winner in the entrepreneurship field on the African continent and her accolades include: Seedstar winner for “Recycle Moi Africa” project, May 2022; listed among the 100 Most Influential Young Africans by the African Union Youth Program 2019; Winner of Africa most innovative idea - VivaTech 2019, Paris; National winner & Coup de Coeur Feminin; Total Startupper 2018/19; Women In Africa laureate for Innovative Start up 2018; National & Regional Winner for the 2018 Pan African Awards, SME Sector. On a personal level, she is a mother of three - two girls Elya 1 and Rya 9 and, a boy, Anshwyn, 13. Lalita is also wife to creative entrepreneur and young political activist, Nazeem Junggee.

Lizl Naude launches exciting new social experiment to celebrate sisterhood and create community

July 11, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Cape Town Designer, Lizl Naude, is known far and wide for her quirky, upcycled decor items through her business, Lilly Loompa. But more than that, she is known for her purposeful and environmentally-consciousness approach to design. In 2020, during the pandemic, she launched her "My Africa Lap Desk" made with discarded waste material. Now, she is embarking on an exciting new social experiment to celebrate sisterhood and create community.

Sinah Mojanko, a South African recycling entrepreneur creating opportunities and jobs

April 25, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Sinah Mojanko, founder, TiyAmo Recycling (South Africa)

Sustainable waste management is a growing business sector on the African continent. In South Africa, TiyAmo Recycling, founded by Sinah Mojanko, is aiming to grow and coach a new generation of recycling entrepreneurs who can tackle the problem of waste.

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