Aiko Creations t/a Eco Zera

Graphite pencils made from recycled newspaper
2021 SEED Climate Adaptation Award Waste Management Gaborone, Botswana

Eco Zera produces eco-pencils made from waste newspapers to distribute in retailers, stationery shops, local general dealers as well as local tuck-shops. The pencils are currently sold in four reputable bookshops which are accessible to almost everyone in the community. The enterprise also supplies to wholesalers that distribute to smaller retailers.

Eco Zera also targets local tuck-shops in other schools and in the vicinity of schools to sell Eco Zera pencils. The enterprise uses social media to advertise the products to the general public.

Eco-inclusive Impacts

The enterprise utilises waste newspapers to produce eco-pencils, thus reducing demand for logging. This protects local forests and contributes to the decrease of climate-induced impacts such as erosion and advancing desertification.
  • Creating job opportunities especially for youth to prevent them from engaging in risky behaviour e.g. drug abuse and crime

 

  • Utilising newspaper as raw materials, giving new life to what would have been waste in landfills
  • Reducing logging activities thus conserving Botswana’s ecosystem and biodiversity
  • Generating economic opportunities in the local green sector
  • Providing employment to individuals who were previously unemployed
  • Securing market share in Botswana and South Africa to supply eco-pencils

Multimedia

Partners

This enterprise is supported through its partnerships with various stakeholders, ranging from national and international organisations, investors, research institutes, suppliers, governmental bodies, NGOs, other social and environmental enterprises and more.

The Voice Newspaper has partnered with Eco Zera to supply their returned newspapers as raw materials at an affordable price.

 

The Botswana Trade Center has profiled Eco Zera to help with locating markets for the products abroad and in the region.

SEED Library

In the SEED Library you can read case studies and briefs and explore recent news and blog posts related to the enterprise.
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Collaborate with Aiko Creations t/a Eco Zera

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Wada Kealotswe
Tel: +26772571932

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