From Kantamanto to the TEDx Stage: How waste became innovation

When Katia Osei, Head of Environmental Justice at The Or Foundation, took the stage at this year's TEDx Accra, she stood in front of letters cut from recycled Kantamanto clothing waste, on a rug made from the same source; tangible proof of the circular solutions she advocates for.

Rather than allowing the stage letters and rug to sit in storage or become waste after the event, TEDx Accra is working with The Or Foundation to make the recycled stage set available to organisers of TEDx events across West Africa.

The red “TEDx” letters framing the stage were produced at The Or Foundation’s Material Technology and Transformation Lab (MTTL) in Old Fadama using Cassaboard, a recycled biocomposite developed from post-consumer clothing waste recovered from Kantamanto Market and cassava-based binders, a locally abundant agricultural resource.