Two Moroccan millennial entrepreneurs have created a construction material more durable and cheaper than concrete. In even greater news, it is made primarily from plastic and will boost Morocco’s dismal recycling rate, writes Matt Smith.
Morocco consumes 550,000 tonnes of plastic annually, according to a report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and a mere 40,000 tonnes, or 7.3%, of that is recycled. As for the remainder, 25% is left uncollected, 36% is dumped illegally and 31% goes to landfill.
Plastic pollution costs the North African country $26 million each year, the WWF estimates, but this economic pain could soon lessen thanks to the pioneering work of Saif Eddine Laalej and Houda Mirouche. They founded their company, Zelij Invent, while still studying at Tangier’s National School of Management.
AN IDEA TAKES ROOT
Laalej welcomed Morocco’s ban on plastic bags in 2015, but he considered it only the beginning given the widespread use of other plastics.
“So, I started working on many, many ideas. One day I thought, ‘Why are there no construction products using plastics?” says Laalej, 22, who began his entrepreneurial career aged 13 when he specialised in robotics.
With the help of engineering and materials professors from across Morocco, Laalej and Mirouche began experimenting to make a building material from melted plastic.
“We started from zero, from scratch. We initially thought we could just melt the plastic and then make the products, but it took us at least 12 prototypes to perfect the formula,” Laalej reveals.
Once the formula was finalised, the company began receiving waste plastic from various entities that collect such rubbish. This plastic is melted down and mixed with other ingredients, including additives and sand, before being placed in moulds to make particular shapes depending on its intended use. It can also be dyed in various colours and used to make everything, from buildings to sidewalks.
“Being a student and an entrepreneur at the same time was very hard - 80% of the team was students, so it was tough to complete our studies and work on our company, meet with investors, etcetera. We’re so young a lot of potential partners didn’t take us seriously,” Laalej says.
A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
The company opened a factory near Casablanca in late December and can now manufacture up to 120 cubic metres of repurposed plastic daily. Once the material cools, it is ready to use.
The plastic building blocks are moulded into shapes like Lego bricks to make them easy to assemble. This design means less cement is required to bind them together, reducing the carbon footprint even further.
Laalej estimates his plastic bricks are five times as durable as cement and will last for more than 100 years. A house made of Zelij’s bricks will consume 30% less energy than a conventional dwelling of the same size, according to him.
These building blocks are also near-unbreakable, whereas around 10% of cement products are broken during transportation. Less than 1% of Zelij’s bricks are damaged in this way, Laalej estimates.
Currently, the repurposed plastic is most commonly used to make outdoor flooring for gardens, parking lots and sidewalks. It costs 30% less to manufacture than concrete.
In March, Zelij launched its own plastic collection programme that will place recycling bins in various locations in Casablanca. The company recycles around 10 tonnes of plastic per month and aims to soon reduce the amount going to landfill by 3,000 tonnes a year. If achieved, that would boost Morocco’s plastic recycling by around 8%.
Zelij, which has 12 employees, has so far raised $120,000 from investors. It hopes to raise a further $300,000 and expects to break even by mid-2021.
Extending its mission beyond recycling, the company runs a social impact programme to promote and support mosaic art in Morocco – the name “Zelij” refers to Moroccan mosaics.
“Artists can use our recycled plastic,” Laalej adds. “We’re teaching artists how to use our formula and our product to produce beautiful mosaics.”