“Closing the Loop on Textile Waste in Kenya” partnership has recycled 100,000 kg of fabric waste, creating jobs and significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions

GLASGOW (November 10, 2021)—P4G announced Closing the Loop on Textile Waste in Kenya as its 2021 State-of-the-Art Partnership of the Year at the UN Climate Conference (COP26). Each year, the P4G State-of-the-Art Partnership Awards recognize the world’s most impactful partnerships that are accelerating innovative business models.

The partnership developed an innovative technology to recycle fabric waste back to like-new fiber for clothes, addressing the massive build-up of textile waste in Kenya. Led by an all-women sorting team, the partnership has processed 100,000 kilograms of textile cotton waste and sold it to recycling factories, which helps meet Kenya’s goals to boost domestic manufacturing and reach its ambitious climate targets. The partnership’s technology uses 99% less water, 40-90% less greenhouse emissions, and 90% less energy than typical approaches. 

The partnership is led by the nonprofit Enviu, along with PurFi and Upset Sourcing East Africa, and plans to work with Kenya’s Export Processing Zone Authority to support access to recyclable materials.

"We are thrilled to be selected as P4G’s Partnership of the Year, which affirms and validates our work providing a circular, waste to value solution. We look forward to collaborating with the P4G network to build sector-wide models that will enable us to tackle this textile waste mountain together,” said Kevin Thiong’o, Venture Builder, Enviu and partnership lead.

“Closing the Loop offers a scalable solution that helps shift away from a linear, high-carbon business model to a circular way of managing textile waste. By embedding social inclusion, job creation and community capacity-building as a core element to its recycling model, Closing the Loop deploys an innovative model with long term impact for both people and planet,” said Katherine Stodulka, Director, Blended Finance Taskforce, Systemiq and 2021 judge for the State-of-the-Art Awards.

Denmark’s Minister for Development Cooperation, Flemming Moller Mortensen, announced the Partnership of the Year winner at a COP26 event on net zero partnerships to catalyze investment in developing countries, hosted by Denmark, the Republic of Korea, and P4G. The event included remarks from Hyoeun Jenny Kim, Climate Ambassador and Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Republic of Korea; Kitty van der Heijden, Director General for International Cooperation, Netherlands; and Julius Muia, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Kenya and others who spoke about P4G’s pivotal role as a platform that converts commitments into solutions. By accelerating market-based partnerships in developing countries that are aligned with the countries’ priorities, P4G is delivering a greener, more inclusive future. 

To accelerate climate action around the world, the P4G State-of-the-Art Awards recognize public-private partnerships delivering tangible impact in five focus areas: food, water, energy, cities, and the circular economy. The sector winners include:

  1. BetterCycle (SDG 2): Converts organic waste into insect protein thus reducing waste and preserving wild fish populations in the ocean.
  2. Netherlands Water Partnership & Kenya Innovative Finance Facility for Water (SDG 6): Provides early-stage capital and expertise to Kenyan project developers and entrepreneurs to develop viable water initiatives and attract private investors.
  3. CFI2030 Jeju (SDG 7): Transforms the city of Jeju into a net-zero hub utilizing state-of-the-art technology including renewable energy, electric vehicles (EVs), smart grids and microgrids.
  4. Sociedad Hipotecaria Federal (SHF) Sustainable Portfolio (SDG 11): Expands energy efficient homes in Mexico by providing financial incentives and technical assistance to encourage developers to build sustainable homes.
  5. Closing the Loop on Textile Waste in Kenya (SDG 12): Reduces waste by regenerating fabric waste into virgin-quality fiber for use in textile production.

Open to partnerships in any country, P4G State-of-the-Art applicants are innovative solutions that demonstrate tangible impact and can become financially sustainable. First-round judges determine the most impactful partnerships in each of P4G’s five sectors. In the second and final round, sector winners pitch their model to a global panel of judges and P4G’s partnership family who vote on the Partnership of the Year. Applications for the 2022 cycle are rolling and open now.

“This year’s partnerships demonstrate the tangible impact needed to meet the urgent calls for action we have heard at COP26. With exemplary solutions that can create jobs and catalyze private sector investment to reach net zero, these State-of-the-Art partnerships are transforming traditional models for a more sustainable world,” said Ian de Cruz, Global Director, P4G.

To learn more about the P4G State-of-the-Art Partnership Awards, visit www.p4gpartnerships.org.

To speak with a P4G Partnership, contact Hali.McKinleyLester@p4gpartnerships.org

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About P4G – Pioneering Green Partnerships, Investing in Impact
P4G – Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 – is a global platform pioneering green partnerships to build sustainable and resilient economies. P4G bridges the gap between development and investment to deliver transformative solutions to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement. P4G mobilizes a global ecosystem of 12 partner countries and 5 organizational partners to unlock opportunities for more than 50 partnerships working in developing countries in five SDG areas: food and agriculture, water, energy, cities and circular economy.