As a small girl in Kenya, Lorna Rutto turned plastic litter into earrings. As an adult disturbed by plastic waste in her country, she founded EcoPost, a social enterprise collecting and recycling plastic waste. The waste is used to manufacture a variety of products ranging from road signs to garden furniture and equipment.
Like many other female African entrepreneurs, she initially held a “safe” job, shifting to her eco-business from banking.
In her Twitter account the 34-year-old describes herself as “a change-maker and multi-passionate social entrepreneur with a vision to have a Green Africa free from poverty”.
In 2012, EcoPost received the International Energy Globe Award and in 2011 the Cartier Women’s Initiative Award.