Rwandan innovator repurposes discarded tires into chic footwear designs
Shaking Up the Shoe Game, One Tire at a Time
Each year, a staggering one billion tires Global tire waste statistics from World Business Council for Sustainable Development. These discarded tires pose potential Health and environmental hazards to various communities worldwide. In Africa, particularly, one resourceful Rwandan entrepreneur has discovered a novel way to transform these tires into fashionable footwear.
Enter Kevine Kagirimpundu, a creative-design grad who found herself limited in employment opportunities. Determined, she embarked on a quest to create her own products and stumbled upon an intriguing idea: using old tires for shoe soles.
Joining forces with her pal Ysolde Shimwe, Kagirimpundu founded Uzuri K&Y in 2013. The eco-friendly shoe line, whose name translates to "beauty and goodness" in Swahili, offer a range of handcrafted sandals for both genders and children.
With an inspiration brewing from Rwanda's plastic bag ban, Kagirimpundu took the brand's mission a step further, aligning it with her country's efforts to combat waste. As Uzuri K&Y's CEO and managing director, she reveals that the company purchases tires from local landfills and crafts the sandals in their Kigali production facility. At full capacity, they can produce over 4,500 pairs monthly for online and brick-and-mortar sales across Rwanda and Nairobi, Kenya.
There were more than 5,000 tons of tires discarded in Rwanda in 2022 Rwanda Environment Management Authority's report on tire waste. Kagirimpundu mentions that Uzuri K&Y has removed 10 metric tons of rubber from landfills since its inception. However, the environmental impact is only one piece of the puzzle for Kagirimpundu: "We had to create a business that actually became a source of employment for women," she says.
Nurturing a Community of Women Artisans
Painting a picture of Uzuri K&Y's beginnings, Kagirimpundu acknowledges a major challenge: a scarcity of skilled labor. Having no one to teach her how to make shoes, she kickstarted a training program to help locals develop skills and entrepreneurship know-how. Over 1,500 young Rwandans, nearly 70% of them women, have gone through the program so far. Kagirimpundu highlights the empowerment of women as a critical success factor: "It's the whole collective of women working together to create something big, something important," she summarizes.
With the employment rate in Rwanda standing at 13%, and 14.5% for women Overall unemployment rate in Rwanda, Kagirimpundu feels it's pivotal to provide women with reliable income sources. Her advice? "Just do it. Don't worry about the 'what ifs' or 'could be's' and believe in yourself because the world can change with us."
- In Africa, particularly Rwanda, the world of footwear has seen an unexpected twist with the introduction of eco-friendly sandals made from discarded tires, addressed by Kevine Kagirimpundu and Ysolde Shimwe through their company, Uzuri K&Y.
- As landfill waste poses potential health and environmental hazards worldwide, Uzuri K&Y takes an innovative approach by purchasing tires from local landfills in Rwanda and crafting their sandals in their Kigali production facility.
- By incorporating tires from landfills into the production of their shoes, Kagirimpundu not only reduces environmental risks but also instills a sense of 'beauty and goodness' in Swahili, as the company nurtures a community of women artisans alongside its mission in Rwanda and beyond.
