Who Is Joseph Nguthiru?
A Nairobi based Kenyan climate engineer and entrepreneur, Joseph Nguthiru made something that sounded impossible, into a reality. Having studied civil and environmental engineering at the Everton University in Kenya, his plan came into play. Today, he is the founder and CEO of HyaPak, a company that originally started as his final year university project in 2022. Only 28-years-old, the United Nations Environment Program recently recognized his work by designating him the Young Champions of the Earth award for environmental innovators.
When asked if she had heard of Joseph Nguthiru, senior Zoe Pazos said said she had not.
“Shockingly, haven’t heard of him. Considering his work, more people should know his name,” she added.
While an engineering student, Nguthiru went on a field trip to Lake Naivasha in Kenya where he became trapped in a massive growth of hyacinth for five hours. For him and his classmates though was an inconvenience, though, at the same time, he realized the greater inconvenience was to fisherman in the area. Imagining the struggles of fisherman who live through this everyday reality just to survive gave him an idea. What if one problem could be used to solve another? What if he could turn this seaweed into biodegradable plastic?
What is Water Hyacinth?
Originally native to South America, water hyacinth is a floating aquatic plant that is highly invasive to other parts of the world, like Kenya. It is a quick growing seaweed that can form huge, thick mats across water surfaces. These mats block boats from transporting goods, interfere with fishing leading to fewer catches, and harm surrounding sea-life by lowering the oxygen levels in the water, and blocking sunlight from reaching ecosystems below. Along water issues, these vast seaweed mats are also breeding grounds for mosquitos. According to HyaPak, water hyacinth affects more than seventy countries worldwide. In examining this challenge, Nguthiru observed something different, potentially useful raw material.
What Exactly Does HyaPak Do?
HyaPak uses harvested water hyacinth to make a plant-based biodegradable material to replace certain plastics. The process starts with fishermen and community members removing seaweed from the water to be sun-dried. HyaPak then buys the material, giving the community another source of income. At their facilities, the water hyacinth is transformed into plant-based material that is then molded into products which replace plastics. With it, HyaPak created itemss like parcel packaging, seedling bags, gift wrap, and carton liners. Unlike other seedling bags where you have to remove the plastic, the biodegradable version can be planted directly into the soil. As the bag decomposes, it releases nutrients which benefit the plant growth.
Why It Matters
Ordinary plastic might be used for minutes, but stays in the environment for years. Roughly 400 million tons of plastic is wasted every year, with few solutions. HyaPak’s efforts have helped remove 8+ hectares of hyacinth from Lake Naivasha, and created dozens of green jobs for the surrounding community.
