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Wada Kealotswe has always been inspired by her love for recycling paper and she formed a paper recycling project for which she pitched to secure funding in 2019. Her project generated huge interests and went all the way up until she reached the semi-finals where she was among the 2019 cohort of a ‘Youth Summit’ under the auspices of the World Bank.
Passion for nature
This provided a necessary impetus for her to explore further the idea of recycling including focusing specifically on recycling newspaper as her niche. Another motivation for Kealotswe to get involved in paper recycling is her passion for nature and knowing that trees have to be cut down to produce a paper. To realise her dream, Kealotswe founded Aiko Creations t/a Eco Zera, a Botswana-based company that manufactures eco graphite and colour pencils. The business has been operating for barely two years but it is already making a huge impact within the environmental sector and by highlighting the need to remedy global warming.
Saving landfill space
Environmental experts say paper recycling is vital in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It takes 70% less energy and water to recycle paper than to create new paper products from trees, they said. Recycling just one ton of paper saves 17 trees as well as vast acres of landfill space. In addition, the experts argue that paper mills use toxic chemicals which are some of the worst manufacturing polluters and that during decomposition process in the ground; a paper releases methane, a noxious greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
Innovative production processes
Kealotswe’s Eco Zera Pencils also promotes less waste and focuses on innovative production processes that have minimal impact on the environment. Currently, the company employs three permanent workers and 15 part-time employees most of whom are youths who have never worked before. “The team is talented and has gained experience in the art of perfecting the pencil production. We have also trained 15 young people who are engaged when the workload is beyond our capacity,” Kealotswe says.
Academic qualifications
A graduate of the University of Pretoria, Kealotswe is a development economist by profession with 10 years of developmental experience. In 2021 Eco Zera Pencils was a runner-up for the catalyst SEED award in the category of ‘Waste Management’. To manufacture the pencils, Kealotswe combines newspaper, graphite and other materials with only 20% of the work performed by machine while 80% is done manually thus creating job opportunities for the local youths.
Grandmother’s entrepreneurial influence
Kealotswe says what gives her company a competitive edge is the fact that the pencils are manufactured from recycled newspapers which could otherwise be going to the landfill where they would generate gases that are not environmentally friendly. She says she grew up under the care of her entrepreneurial grandmother and this seemed to have “rubbed off her”. She says “I wanted to do business and I would sell things to my fellow school mates. After high school when I was about 19, I registered my first company but it was short lived as I had to leave the country to further my studies.”
Upbeat about the future
She is upbeat about the future saying her aspirations include up-scaling Eco Zera Pencils’ operations as well as ensuring it reaches it increases its foothold and thus reach the global markets. This will also create viable employment for the masses. Her advice to other women who wants to venture into starting up their own companies is that “do not wait to have enough money to start anything; the little you have can help you start something small that will help you achieve your bigger goal. Be consistent and persevere in all circumstances it’s not always easy”, concludes Kealotswe.
