1.0HyaPakhttps://hyapak.com/esadminhttps://hyapak.com/es/author/hyapakco/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="Weyp1IA1eG"><a href="https://hyapak.com/es/about/">Acerca de</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://hyapak.com/es/about/embed/#?secret=Weyp1IA1eG" width="600" height="338" title="«About» — HyaPak" data-secret="Weyp1IA1eG" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://hyapak.com/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script>About OUR STARTUP JOURNEY · HYAPAK · KE A small collectiveusing one messto solve another. HyaPak is a Kenyan circular-economy company. We harvest invasive water hyacinth from Lake Naivasha and Lake Victoria and turn it into biodegradable packaging that looks, feels and performs like plastic, then quietly returns to soil, or water, wherever place it ends up discarded. 01Mission Our commitment is to tackle both plastic-waste pollution and water-hyacinth infestation through innovation, joining climate action to a healthier blue economy and the biodiversity of our lakes. Ultimately, we want to change how you interact with conventional packaging plastics in your day-to-day life. Not just because biodegradable alternatives are eco-friendly, but because ours are affordable, more reliable, and much higher quality. 02Our story Stuck in a lake. Lake Naivasha · the lake that started it all HyaPak started, quite literally, by getting stuck. A group of Egerton University engineering students trapped for several hours in a dense mat of water hyacinth on Lake Naivasha during a class trip. That afternoon framed two problems in the same body of water: an invasive weed strangling the lake, and the plastic waste piling up on its shore. We started asking a research question; WHAT IF one problem could one solve the other? What began as a final-year project is now a team of engineers, designers, harvesters and lab researchers building packaging that looks, feels and performs like plastic, grown from the very weed clogging the lake. — The HyaPak team Egerton University · Nakuru, Kenya 03How we do it Four steps fromlake to shelf. 01 Sourcing We harvest water hyacinth with the help of affected fishermen, fisherwomen and community members from Lake Naivasha and Lake Victoria. This contributes to additional income to their daily lives, to help counter the income that their households lose to the same weed through fishing activities. 02 Quality control The biomass is sun-dried and then mechanically crushed to a fine, fibrous flour. We test every batch for moisture, particle size and fibre length before it enters the line. 03 Extraction Through a meticulous extraction process, we draw the cellulose from the fibre and blend it with our proprietary binders and additives. Each formulation is tuned for the end product. For example, agricultural applications would have a different recipe to a flexible mailer. 04 Conversion Using innovative techniques and patented processes, we convert the composite into seedling bags, parcel packaging, carton liners, plates, tumblers, films and custom moulds that are drop-in replacements for fossil-fuel plastics that biodegrade in custom time, between 3 and 12 months. 04What we stand for Three valueswe ship by. V·01 Community first The lakeside communities living with the water hyacinth are the people we work with to harvest it. The economics have to work for them or this whole thing falls over. V·02 Carbon honest Every product we make offsets emissions that would have been produced if a similar oil-based plastic was manufactured instead; real, measurable climate action and carbon offset. We measure it. We publish it. V·03 Open-handed research We were born in a university lab. We still are one. We publish, we teach, we collaborate, because combating the climate crisis needs both research and awareness. 05Team & roots A small collectivewith a long shelf. HyaPak is a Kenyan-based circular-economy and blue-economy startup. We’re a team of engineers, designers and researchers working alongside lakeside fishing communities to change how we treat single-use materials. We exist to make packaging sustainable, affordable and high quality. Our work advances climate action, lake conservation and several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Egerton University provided our first lab space and continues to treat the venture as both research and a teaching tool. Lab & ManufacturingMaterials & cellulose R&D Field WorkHarvest, drying & logistics ProductsMoulding, QC & custom builds Community ServiceAdopt a River & Jaza Miti Learn more · Join us / partner 06Awards & recognition From Nairobito the UN. UNEP Young Champion of the Earth United Nations Environment Programme & Planet A Prototypes for Humanity Award COP28 · Nature, Food & Water Systems United Nations Science Technology and Innovation Forum Outstanding project Circularity Champion KEPRO SPICE Awards, Kenya B-Tomorrow ventures Winning Project Top 30 Startups in Africa Yale Africa Startup Review Presidential Award — Best Innovation East Africa Science & Tech Commission Best Manufacturing Startup Kenya Innovation Week 07Be a part of the change Let’s pack the future. Order, partner, research, visit our lab in Nakuru, or simply say hi. Whatever it is, a real human on our team will read your note and write back. Get in touch See products or reach us directly at info@hyapak.com · +254 787 161 524