GREENGIRLS

on

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Opportunity:

1. Limited Waste Management Learning Tools:

• Lack of know-how for proper waste management.
• Limited access to easy-to-use learning tools and recycling technologies.

2. Poor women representation in the materials recycling industry: 

• Women have been relegated to sorting and handling solid wastes.
• Poor representation of women in decision making roles.

3. Shortage of specialized, collection centers For recyclables.

Mission:

1. To tackle climate change through effective learning strategies on responsible waste management and recycling methods. 
2. To create economic opportunities for women as a way of addressing gender inequality.
3. To promote sustainable value chains that support cleaner communities.

Solution:

A global, digital platform comprising:

• a dedicated hub for female-focused, digital learning about waste management and recycling. Culturally sensitive educational activities will be tailored to cater for different languages, educational background and geographical peculiarities, through the use of audio-visual content, text, games etc as learning aids. 
• a blockchain-enabled channel to facilitate trading activities between women recyclers. 
• a mobile collection and distribution service for recyclables. 

Market Focus:

1. For the digital learning hub (online), our targets include females from the listed categories below:

• Children ( 5 - 12 years), teenagers ( 13 - 19 years)(Learning Only), young adults (20 - 28 years), adults (29+ years) 

1. For the trading channel, our targets include:

• all genders who must be within the age of 17 and above
• women recyclers (P-2-P)
• companies (B-2-B)
• organizations
• governments.

Expected Returns:

• Revenue - The platform's revenue generation model is based on commissions earned via successful transactions on the trading channel. Depending on the trade volume, there will be a 3.5 - 5% commission per successful trade activity.

• Profits - Profits are directly linked with commissions earned on the platform. The profits will cater for the platform's maintenance and distribution service.

• Customers -  Since our digital learning hub is freely accessible to everyone, we hope to drive consistent followership of about 1 million users for the first year. For the trading channel, we are targeting 500,000 active female traders, 1000 active recycling companies and organizations. 

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Company Summary: 

GREENGIRLY is a global, for-profit, digital network that facilitates trade between women recyclers dealing on recyclable materials including plastics, bottles and metal-related items. It derives its strength from the reliable provisions of blockchain technology towards promoting transparent and easy exchange between platform users. This digital platform will be designed to cater for the trading needs of all women irrespective of age, language and education barriers. It will be an easy to use platform with both online and offline support for all users. There will be options for women recyclers to trade directly with both local and international companies, peers or governments. Additionally, the platform will serve as an information exchange network for women on several waste recycling methods and how to make the recycling process sustainable and profitable. 

Mission Statement:

GREEN GIRLY is focused on:

• tackling climate change through responsible waste disposal and recycling.
• providing education on how to safely manage and recycle waste.
• creating economic opportunities for women as a way of addressing gender inequality
• promoting sustainable value chains that support cleaner, healthier communities.

Company History:

GreenGirly is a relatively new initiative that is part of our efforts against environmental pollution globally. As an early advocate of environmental conservation, the founder (in 2003) was a pioneer member of a high school community campaigning for responsible waste management in secondary schools within Warri, Southern Nigeria. While in high school, he designed a prototype paper on a possible use of biofuel extract from orange peels as an alternative to gasoline for cars. Similarly, the founder is the brain behind RecycloHubs Africa - an initiative that will equip Africans with recycling machines for domestic and commercial recycling. GreenGirly is an offshoot of “RecycloHubs Africa” and will also serve as the real-life application of RecycloHubs’ long term goals. 

Market and Products:

The market for recyclable waste globally is massive. Companies and manufacturing industries are constantly seeking new ways to reuse recyclables as a way for offsetting their production costs and also, as a strategy for reducing environmental wastes. The products derived from the reuse of recyclables are enormous. These products range are sourced from materials such as: plastic, glass, wood, paper, electronic wastes etc. GreenGirly’s goal is to bridge the gap between access to well managed recyclables and the opportunity to create value from these materials. Our focus is on empowering women to enjoy the full benefits of fair partnerships with industries.  

Management Team:

Our management team comprise - Chima Omike and Jesudamilare Adesegun-David. Other members of the extended team include: Heyab Redda Ghidey, Eniola Ladipo, Toluwanimi. Our diverse team explores our collective skills and experience in materials recycling, information technology, data analytics, energy, agriculture and education. 

Legal Structure and Ownership:

GreenGirly is not currently registered as a business entity. However, we plan to take the necessary steps towards making it a full fledged business that can deliver services. 

Location and Facilities:

We work remotely across different locations in Europe, the UK and Nigeria. As a new venture, we hope to rent offices and warehouses when we start making business profits. We hope to reach strategic locations in every part of the world where environmental wastes can be found. 

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Opportunity:

In September 2018, the World Bank announced that our global waste production is predicted to rise by 70 per cent by 2050 unless we take urgent action. Human kind currently produces two billion tonnes of waste per year between 7.6 billion people.(1) As the world’s population continues to experience increased growth (especially in Asia and Africa), the tonnes of waste produced per year will also experience commensurate increase. Additionally, the waste management culture in most parts of the world is either poorly practised or non-existent. 

GreenGirly service is focused on improving the waste management culture globally through profit-based, women participation. Since women contribute immensely to curbing environmental pollution, we believe that they should be equipped with high quality learning and trading opportunities that will make them effective ambassadors of a clean future for all.  

Product Overview:

Our service is divided into 3 modules:

• A customized, learning hub (on our web platform) built to reach women from different backgrounds and age categories. We will provide learning through texts, images, videos and games.
• An easy-to-use, blockchained trading channel (on our web platform) for trading activities on recyclable raw materials and products. 
• Mobile collection and distribution centers for recyclables. 

Key Participants:

Our target clientele include: a global community of girls, women, companies, industries and organizations.

Pricing:

Our pricing mechanism is as follows:

• Digital Learning Membership - Free
• Access to resources on the digital learning hub - Free
• Single Seller Membership on trading channel - Free
• Group Seller Membership (More than 5 persons) - 12USD annually.
• Single Buyer Membership on trading channel - 24 USD annually.
• Company (Buyer) Membership on trading channel - 65 USD annually
• 3% commission from every successful trading activity by sellers on the platform.
• Paid advertisement plans by eco-friendly companies and organizations. 

MARKET ANALYSIS

Industry Type:

Our services are primarily designed for the materials recycling industry globally. The global market revenue for recycling is likely to increase from 265.61 billion USD in 2017 to 282.1 billion USD in 2018. “This does not include the revenue from plastic recycling industry, which itself poses a tremendous business opportunity, and the market size is estimated at 37.6 billion US-Dollar in 2018, a significant growth of 7.1 percent from 2017.” As reported, the study also discusses the effect of the waste import ban imposed by China. As a result, the waste management industry is set to undergo substantial change, opening possibilities in markets that were initially exporting waste to China. “The ban is likely to drive investment opportunities for countries like Australia, Japan, Germany, the UK and the US. (3)

Market Segmentation:

GreenGirly targets market segments in the recycling industry based on the following considerations -

• Companies: Several companies are actively recycling and reusing recyclables to create new or existing products. These companies are major collectors of recyclables and they also offer waste management services. Some of these companies include: Veolia Environment, Suez Environment, Republic Services, Stericycle, Casella Waste Systems, Clean Harbors, Parc, Remondis, Covanta Holding, Shirai, China Recycling Development, New COOP Tianbao etc

• Regional Analysis: Some of the countries (per region) with existing waste recycling plans include - United States, Canada and Mexico (North America);  Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy (Europe); China, Japan, Korea, India and South-East Asia (Asia-Pacific); Brazil, Argentina and Colombia (South America); Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt. Nigeria and South Africa (Middle East and Africa). However, current statistics indicate new markets for the recycling industry in nordic countries, Eastern Europe and East/West Africa.

• Waste Type: The recycling industry covers different recyclable materials. Some of them include compost & food waste, glass & fiberglass, plastics, electronic wastes, paper, metals, liquid oils & chemicals, textiles etc. These waste types can be classified as exportable and non-exportable. Our business strategy encourage international trade on exportable recyclables and in-country trade for non-exportable recyclables. 

• Allied Services/Applications: Beyond promoting environmental sustainability, the recycling industry provides diverse value chain for green economy, agriculture, construction and industries. GreenGirly will also provide advisory services for players in the above mentioned sectors.

Competition:

Presently, there are over 10 reputable trading platforms on different types of recyclables. Some of them include: Scrapo Inc (https://scrapo.com/), AmeriScraps (https://www.ameriscraps.com), PlasticBank, PlastiCoin etc. However, most of these platforms do not offer both learning and trading services that target the crucial population of existing and potential female recyclers. Additionally, their trading networks are not easily accessible to women with poor education and those from underserved communities across the globe. GreenGirly’s competitive advantage is stringed around the following:

• Exciting learning resources to educate platform users on how to manage or recycle waste responsibly.
• Robust exchange opportunities between women from different backgrounds.
• Simplified trading channel that is engineered by blockchain technology to promote swiftness, transparency and trust. This channel serves women from different communities both locally and internationally. 
• Opportunities to trade on different recyclables as opposed to trading on only one type of material. 

SWOT Analysis:

Strengths - Our team has several years of experience working on projects in diverse fields. Our major strengths are in:

• Research and Innovation
• Strategy and management
• Collaborative partnerships with recycling companies and eco-friendly businesses
• Digital transformation for green economy.

Weaknesses 

• Limited experience working with recyclables
• High startup costs (including cost of mobile facilities)
• We lack the expertise for implementing blockchain mechanisms for financial transactions. 
• Since we are providing a service-based solution, we do not manage the actual recycling process of raw materials and products. 
• Geographic limitations. 

Opportunities 

• Potential research and development opportunities for recyclable products.
• Improved access to more specialized recyclables collection centers. 
• Secure trading opportunities on recyclables using blockchain technology. 
• Mass education of women in under served communities.

Threats 

• Materials scarcity: Since our business model heavily depends on availability of recyclable materials, a supply decline could significantly affect trading activities. 
• Regulatory laws on environmental protection: In the event that there are updated laws on environmental protection for different regions, we may need to adapt our service to comply with existing standards.

OPERATING PLAN

The GreenGirly platform will operate both as an online and offline service. The online platform will employ cutting edge technology to deliver robust learning and secure trading activities. On the trading channel, there will be platform administrators and moderators to provide support to platform users. The offline component of the platform will ensure efficient coordination and delivery of exportable and non-exportable recyclables between registered platform vendors. 

Sourcing and Order Fulfillment:

Since the online platform offers trading opportunities, we would maintain inventories of the recyclables listed for sale by platform users. Before listings on the platform will be approved for any sale opportunities, supervisors at the collection centers will perform quality checks on the recyclable materials. Sold items will be distributed to recipients through third party shipping companies. 

Payment:

Platform vendors will receive payments based on available payment methods in their locations. Our platform guarantees smooth and secure payments. Payments will be disbursed based on vendor’s preference - for a sale, multiple sales, weekly or monthly sales. 

Technology:

Technology is a crucial enabling factor for the GreenGirly platform. The learning and trading functions will use web and mobile technologies. Issues like easy UI/UX, performance data security, user privacy and data backup are equally important considerations. 

Key Customers:

Our key customers include: women, recycling companies & industries, organizations, countries etc. 

Key Employees and Organization:

To deliver high quality services, we would need the services of:

• Blockchain developers
• Data scientists
• Marketers and SEO specialists
• Web developers (Front and Back End)

Facilities

Presently, we only work remotely. However, we need facilities for our proposed collection centers.

Heyab Redda Ghidey Eniola Ladipo Toluwanimi

https://www.figma.com/file/GMu0tvovC4VBFP7OXaLcrH/GreenGirls?node-id=0:1

https://remidomains.wixsite.com/greengirly

https://youtu.be/vvhAOD6MWHA

https://github.com/heyabredda/Green-Girls