Pineapple is not only a tasty and healthy fruit, but also a raw material for environmentally friendly fashion. These Kenyan farmers have begun to earn extra income from leaves that were previously simply thrown away.
Previously, I almost never used such leaves. But today they are attracting more and more attention. Pine Kazi recycles them into fashionable shoes.
The startup is also tapping local workers to create jobs. One pair of shoes costs just over $40.
The startup’s co-founders say the idea was born out of a university project.
As students, they noticed a huge amount of burning pineapple waste and wondered how to solve the problem.
Previously, I almost never used pineapple fiber, as I converted it into something more complex and better or synthetic. But now many manufacturers are thinking about environmental friendliness and are trying to solve the problem of “fast fashion”.
Kenya produces about 80 thousand tons of pineapple waste every year. They are usually burned or decomposed using chemicals. However, all of these approaches are bad for the environment.
The country also imports thousands of tons of polyester clothing every year because it is cheap. Then it appears in landfills, polluting the soil and water bodies.
