Afri-Plastics Challenge, Johannesburg, South Africa, has named 15 teams of inventors across Sub-Saharan Africa as finalists for the Promoting Change. The teams have been selected for their effots to develop solutions that could change the behavior of individuals and communities around plastic scrap in Sub-Saharan Africa.   

The Afri-Plastics Challenge aims to support efforts to reduce plastic pollution in a way that empowers all. This is done by promoting greater gender inclusiveness and social justice in national policies on plastic scrap.    

Afri-Plastics says the finalists, located in Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda will receive a 50,000-pound (approximately $59,000) grant toward developing their solutions.   

Tackling plastic pollution through three prize strands, the finalists in the third strand, Promoting Change, will develop engagement strategies such as gamification, incentives and storytelling to promote behavior change and educate communities. The finalists also provide insights into the roles women play across the value chain.  

The finalists will be supported through a capacity-building portfolio of subject matter experts over the next several months to further develop their solutions.   

“The issue of marine plastic pollution has grown rapidly in recent years,” says Constance Agyeman, director of international development for Challenge Works. “It is crucial that awareness translates into action and long-term behavior change, at individual and collective levels alike.” 

Agyeman says the 15 finalists will be supported over the course of the next seven months to develop their communications campaigns and projects. The 50,000-pound grants will support teams to generate evidence of change around reducing littering, segregation of plastic scrap, choosing reusable options or refusing single-use plastic altogether.  

Having made their way through the semifinal round, each finalist has received grants of 5,000 pounds to develop their ideas. Three winning projects will be awarded 250,000 pounds (roughly $297,000) each in March 2023.   

Projects that made it to the finals include “Change at the till,” a solution developed by Botswana’s Meeticks Africa. The initiative runs a 30-day challenge that aims to get users to understand how their use of single-use plastics, especially when shopping, negatively affects the environment and contributes heavily to marine plastic scrap. It also helps them practice what they learn. It is a multiday gamified experience conducted over an intelligent WhatsApp chatbot and backend app.   

Another finalist is a Training-Empowerment-Promotion (TEP) model developed by Catharina Natang, a Cameroonian organization. The TEP model aims to provide training on sustainable fashion and resource mobilization to fashion designers. It also seeks to help local designers to understand the subtle but massive presence of plastic-based fabrics in the fashion industry and how this contributes to the global plastic scrap problem.   

Students will learn about nonplastic alternatives, how to access them, how to recycle, properly dispose of and select nonplastic alternatives. The project will organize annual sustainable fashion events to widen public awareness of sustainable fashion to reduce plastic ending up in oceans.   

Also in the running is Kenya’s Homeless of Kisumu’s M-taka solution, which aims to train and empower women economically to become recycling agents who build communities of recyclers. The program leverages technology and induces behavioral change through social connections and incentives. Through an app, the masses will be targeted to increase recycling culture and link them with agents in their areas to collect the plastic and transport it to recyclers.   

“Plastic pollution is threatening our ecosystems and food systems,” says Harjit Sajjan, minister of international development of Canada. “I strongly believe that we must empower communities across the world to make sustainable choices. Choices that result in a better, more environmentally friendly future for all. I look forward to seeing the hard work and innovation of these amazing finalists and can't wait to contribute our expertise and efforts in supporting Africa in becoming a plastic scrap-free continent.” 

Rubicon Technologies LLC, a Lexington, Kentucky-based digital marketplace for waste and recycling and provider of software-based solutions for businesses and governments, has made changes to its board of directors. The company has nominated Paula Henderson and Jack Selby to its board of directors upon the closing of the company’s previously announced business combination with Founder SPAC.  

Henderson is the executive vice president and chief sales officer for the Americas, at SAS. Selby is the managing director at Thiel Capital and former senior vice president and corporate officer at PayPal.  

“I am thrilled that Paula Henderson has been nominated for election to the post combination Rubicon Board,” says Nate Morris, chairperson and CEO of Rubicon. “Paula has a well-earned reputation as a tireless leader, strategist and executive. She has been a driving force at SAS, helping grow the company year after year.”  

As executive vice president and chief sales officer for the Americas at SAS, Henderson leads teams across government, financial services, health care, life sciences, consumer packaged goods, manufacturing, energy and telecommunications. SAS helps clients apply the power of data and analytics to improve their operations, better serve their customers and tackle humanitarian issues around natural disasters, opioid abuse, suicide prevention and more.  

“Rubicon and SAS share a commitment to creating a cleaner, healthier, and safer world through technology and innovation,” said Ms. Henderson. “I look forward to working with Nate and my fellow board members to explore new opportunities to reduce waste in ways that not only benefit the planet but have bottom-line business value.”  

Outside of SAS, Henderson serves on the executive roundtable board for the North Carolina State Chamber and as the chair of the roadside alliance, a nonprofit that raises money for highway beautification. She is also on the boards of the North Carolina State University College of Science, the Institute for Emerging Issues, Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina and First Flight Venture Center Inc. Henderson received her MBA from Meredith College and her BS from North Carolina State University.  

Selby co-founded Clarium Capital Management after selling PayPal to eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion. Selby was one of PayPal’s earliest employees and later served as senior vice president, overseeing the company’s international and corporate operations. Selby is an active technology investor and adviser and an early investor in Affirm, Bird, Myeloid Therapeutics and SpaceX. He also facilitated several investments in Palantir over the company’s life span. Selby was also a member of the advisory boards of Blend and Offerpad.  

“We are thrilled to announce that Jack Selby is nominated for election to the post combination Rubicon Board,” Morris says “Jack brings with him more than 20 years of experience, having helped establish and grow some of the most transformational companies in the world today. He will provide invaluable guidance around corporate governance, finance, and technology strategy, as well as extensive knowledge of how digital transformation is reimagining industries around the world.”  

In addition to his responsibilities at Thiel Capital, Selby is currently a member of the board of directors of the Arizona Commerce Authority, a co-host/founder of the Arizona Technology Innovation Summit with Gov. Doug Ducey and chairperson of invisionAZ. He is also a co-founder and member of the board of directors for the Wyoming Global Technology Partnership with Gov. Mark Gordon. He is also active in film production, having served as a producer and executive producer on a dozen feature films since 2011.  

“Jack is a fantastic nomination to Rubicon’s Board of Directors,” says Osman Ahmed, CEO of founder SPAC. “His deep experience in both finance and technology will bring tremendous value to Rubicon in its life as a public company and help guide our long-term strategy as the leading digital marketplace in waste and recycling. We are thrilled that Jack is nominated to join us and look forward to benefiting from his knowledge and expertise.”  

Selby received a BA in Economics from Hamilton College, where he is also a member of the Board of Trustees. He was selected to serve on the board due to his decades of experience in managing and investing in companies in the technology industry. 

Ludwigshafen, Germany-based BASF has launched PuriCycle, a new line of products for the purification of most complex scrap plastics pyrolysis oils. The PuriCycle portfolio includes novel catalysts and adsorbents developed to selectively remove or convert a wide range of impurities in pyrolysis oils and enable downstream processing of circular plastics streams, BASF says. PuriCycle can help customers meet industry compositional compliance standards, benefit from high-efficiency purification and upgrading solutions and increase flexibility in the chemical recycling process. 

PuriCycle purifies pyrolysis oils, a secondary raw material obtained from the chemical recycling of plastic scrap that is fed into the production process for new plastics at the beginning of the value chain. Purification of pyrolysis oils obtained from end-of-life plastics is among the most demanding technical tasks in chemical plastics recycling, BASF says. Impurities, such as halogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur compounds as well as higher levels of reactive components, such as dienes, complicate downstream use and impose strict limitations on further processing such streams in the production of new materials. 

“With our PuriCycle portfolio, we are in a very strong position to make a difference in chemical plastics recycling and to enable plastics circularity,” says Detlef Ruff, senior vice president, process catalysts, at BASF. “The ability of the PuriCycle products to purify the most challenging pyrolysis oil streams is a major contribution to help closing the plastics loop, minimizing waste and ultimately opening up new feedstocks for the chemical industry.”  

Fenix Parent LLC, operating as Fenix Parts, a recycler and reseller of original equipment manufacturer automotive parts in Hurst, Texas, has completed its acquisition of assets of A&P Auto Parts and U-Pull U-Save Auto Parts in central New York.   

Fenix says this is its largest acquisition since the company was acquired by affiliates of Stellex Capital Management LLC in 2018.  

“We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of A&P and their sister company U-Pull U-Save,” says Bill Stevens, CEO of Fenix Parts. “We are excited about the addition of its experienced and talented team to the Fenix family. This acquisition expands Fenix’s existing footprint in New York, adding full and self-service operations and further solidifies our industry-leading Northeast position.”  

A&P is a full-service automotive recycler serving the Syracuse and Rochester markets with locations in Cicero and Palmyra, New York. U-Pull U-Save is a self-service automotive recycler servicing the Syracuse market in East Syracuse, New York. Fenix says the companies will retain their staff.  

“The Abold family of companies, A&P Auto Parts, A&P Auto Parts Rochester and U-Pull U-Save are proud to join the Stellex-sponsored Fenix organization,” says William Abold, owner of A&P. “The infrastructure, dedication to succeed, leading-edge technology and professionalism of Fenix and its officers and employees are truly impressive.”  

Fenix Parts says it continues to pursue opportunities that align with its strategic development plans. Current auto recycling owners interested in learning more about Fenix’s acquisition process should email info@fenixparts.com.