This Norwegian start-up wants to build houses out of 100% recycled plastic

The global plastic crisis and the growing housing shortage in developing regions have become two interconnected challenges that demand innovative solutions. Recognizing the potential of addressing one problem with the other, a Norwegian start-up has embarked on a mission to develop affordable housing using 100% recycled plastic materials.

Over the past seven decades, the world has witnessed the production of more than nine billion tonnes of plastic, but only a mere 9% of it has been recycled, according to Othalo, a pioneering building tech company. Concurrently, nearly one billion people are living in inadequate and substandard housing conditions, primarily in slums and informal settlements.

To tackle this pressing issue, Othalo has forged a partnership with UN-Habitat, the United Nations program dedicated to sustainable urban development and human settlements. Together, they aim to leverage recycled plastic to create building components for constructing three demonstration homes, serving as a blueprint for addressing Africa's housing shortage. The company emphasizes that in sub-Saharan Africa alone, there is an immediate need for 160 million units of low-cost housing, a number expected to surge to 360 million by 2050 due to rapid urbanization trends. Leveraging the abundance of plastic waste available today, Othalo believes that more than one billion houses can be built using their innovative approach.

The year 2021 marks a significant milestone for Othalo as they prepare to establish the first factory dedicated to producing building elements exclusively from recycled plastic. This facility, set to be constructed in Kenya, will produce partitions for walls, ceilings, and floors, utilizing innovative techniques to transform discarded plastic into functional and durable construction materials. By converting plastic waste into valuable resources, Othalo aims to alleviate the housing crisis while simultaneously tackling the environmental impact of plastic pollution.

Beyond the immediate benefits of providing affordable housing, Othalo's initiative offers several advantages in terms of sustainability and circular economy principles. By repurposing plastic waste that would otherwise end up in landfills or pollute natural ecosystems, the project contributes to reducing environmental harm and carbon emissions associated with traditional construction materials. Additionally, the use of recycled plastic in housing construction can help alleviate the demand for virgin materials, promoting resource conservation and reducing the strain on natural resources.

The introduction of the first factory dedicated to producing construction components from recycled plastic signifies a critical step toward scaling up this innovative approach. As the demand for affordable housing continues to rise in developing regions, Othalo's pioneering efforts have the potential to transform the construction industry's practices, setting a new standard for sustainable and cost-effective housing solutions.

However, it is important to acknowledge that challenges and considerations accompany this ambitious endeavor. Ensuring the durability, safety, and long-term viability of recycled plastic materials in housing construction requires rigorous testing, certification, and compliance with building codes and standards. Additionally, proper waste management systems must be in place to collect, sort, and process plastic waste effectively. Collaborative efforts between governments, industry stakeholders, and communities are essential to establish the necessary infrastructure and regulatory frameworks that support the widespread adoption of recycled plastic housing.

Sustainable homes

Othalo’s process involves shredding plastic waste and mixing it with other elements, including non-flammable materials. Components are used to build up to four floors, with a home of 60 square metres using eight tons of recycled plastic. A factory with one production line can produce 2,800 housing units annually.

Following successful laboratory tests, Othalo’s factory in Estonia has started producing components to build three demonstration homes for Kenya’s capital, Nairobi; Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon and Dakar, the capital of Senegal.

Othalo founder Frank Cato Lahti has been developing and testing the technology since 2016 in partnership with SINTEF, a 70-year-old independent research organization in Trondheim, Norway, and experts at Norway’s University of Tromsø.

Almost seven out of every 10 people in the world are expected to live in urban areas by 2050. More than 90% of this growth will take place in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

“In the absence of effective urban planning, the consequences of this rapid urbanization will be dramatic,” UN-Habitat warns.

Lack of proper housing and growth of slums, inadequate and outdated infrastructure, escalating poverty and unemployment, and pollution and health issues, are just some of the effects.

Mindsets, policies, and approaches towards urbanization need to change for the growth of cities and urban areas to be turned into opportunities that will leave nobody behind, UN-Habitat says.

Pioneers of change

Reimagining cities and communities for greater resilience and sustainability was a key topic at the World Economic Forum’s Pioneers of Change Summit 2020.

The digital event brought together innovators and stakeholders from around the world to explore solutions to the challenges facing enterprises, governments and society.

Opening the summit, Stephan Mergenthaler, the Forum’s Head of Strategic Intelligence and a member of the Executive Committee, said: “We need to change the way we produce, the way we live and interact in our cities to make this transition to net-zero emissions a reality…

“And as this year has illustrated so dramatically, we need to make every effort that we keep populations healthy, if we want to avoid jeopardizing all this progress.”