One idea, two continents – Ecocan Africa revolutionises the recycling of beverage containers

Ecocan’s story began in 2018 when Sonja Sirviö was working for the UN in Nairobi through the Finnish Embassy. She discovered that less than 8% of the more than three billion beverage bottles consumed each year in Kenya were recycled. This raised a question: why has the Nordic deposit system, the best in the world, not been taken to where it is needed the most?

When Sirviö joined forces with a Kenyan law student Frank, the two came up with an idea: combining Finnish technology with local expertise. This resulted in the birth of Ecocan – a digital platform that combats beverage counterfeiting and promotes recycling. QR codes on beverage containers enable users to distinguish genuine products from counterfeits before purchase and return the containers easily using a free mobile app and wallet – without receipts or cash.

Although the vision was strong, Sonja was new to entrepreneurship, so she turned to Business Helsinki for support. Harri Hoivala, a coach working in the Accelerator programme, became an important support person who helped with clarifying the company’s strategy, pitching the concept and applying for funding. The collaboration led to, among other things, securing €500,000 in funding, a €3 million valuation, and participation in international events.

”I could go to my business coach at Business Helsinki to talk about any challenge and would always get help. It was incredibly reassuring to know that support was always available. The business coach became someone who I could really rely on.”

The results speak for themselves: over 4 million bottles and cans were collected in the pilot phase, and the client companies saved over 40% in packaging costs. Ecocan is the only operator in East Africa with an automated washing line and the capacity to wash 10,000 bottles per hour. The company employs over 20 people, most of whom are women from low-income communities. Ecocan has increased the wages of informal waste collectors by up to 250%, and recycling efficiency has improved significantly.

In the future, Ecocan aims to expand from Nairobi to the whole of Kenya, then to East Africa and on to the Global South. The potential for scaling up is high. The company is not only solving the waste problem – it is building a more just and sustainable world where technology serves people and the environment.