Nelly Gesare posing with a her eco-friendly tote bag from Green Thing Kenya. Photo by Green Thing Kenya, used with permission.

This story was written by Bonface Orucho and originally published by Bird Story Agency on March 20, 2025. This revised version is republished below as part of a content-sharing agreement.

Entering one of Nelly Gesare's eco-conscious retail stores in Kenya is like walking into a world in transformation.

Glass bottles, once discarded as waste, are now sleek drinking tumblers and jars. Scraps of fabric, saved from landfills, have been stitched into desirable shopping bags and reusable dish sponges.

Every shelf tells a story — not of waste but of renewal. This is now the world of the former journalist who has turned the challenge of waste into a thriving business. She explained in an interview with Bird Story Agency:

I use Green Thing Kenya to tell the story of sustainability and the opportunities therein. My goal is to break down sustainability and show that it’s not just about the environment — it’s about a broader systemic shift.

She added:

We focus on eco-friendly home care, recycled materials, and sustainable textiles. Some of our work involves white-label manufacturing for other brands.

White label manufacturing is when a product is produced by one party and sold to other retailers, who add their own labels and customization.

Rising demand for eco-friendly products

Green Thing Kenya is one of a number of upcycling brands, including Ecandi, EcoSafi, MokoMaya, and others, that operate in Nairobi.

The rise of eco-brands in the region signals a growing consumer preference for sustainable products, according to Cynthia Atieno, a sustainability expert at the United Nations Environment Programme. She explained:

It is incredibly encouraging to see brands like Green Thing Kenya gaining market success. It reaffirms that sustainability is not just a trend but a thriving market with real demand and long-term potential.

The trend is also in expansion mode, well beyond major cities like Nairobi.

Dennis Ondari, a 26-year-old entrepreneur from Kisii town, who has been running a glass bottle waste business since December 2024, cites the rising demand for eco-friendly products as “the biggest motivator” behind launching his venture there. He explained in a phone interview:

Before starting ‘Chupa Zone,’ I worked for an eco product business in Nairobi for three years. I witnessed the growth; that is why I decided to replicate the model here.

However, Gesare revealed that when she began her venture a decade ago, she did not set out to be a sustainability entrepreneur. She noted:

As a journalist, my primary goal was always to make information accessible and digestible — for both the general public and younger audiences.

She added:

Back in 2012, sustainability was still a very new concept. To raise awareness, I created a TV series and pitched it to media houses I had previously worked with. However, the challenge was that the content wasn’t being prioritized. That’s when I decided to take matters into my own hands.

The journey was hardly uneventful. Her first business attempt included manufacturing reusable metallic straws, a venture that hit a roadblock when local production costs soared to an unsustainable 1,500 shillings (about USD 12) per straw. But instead of giving up, she found a new way forward.

A turning point came. I lost everything. With the little I had left, I launched a product — and it sold out in two days. That experience showed me the power of sustainability-driven business.

About Green Thing Kenya

In a matter of years, Gesare has created not just an eco-brand for selling a range of products, but she has demonstrated that individuals can turn waste into thriving businesses. Hers is a model that not only helps clean up the environment but also empowers local communities.

Sustainable home essentials from Green Thing Kenya. Photo by Green Thing Kenya. Used with permission.

The company works with women waste pickers, offering them fair wages while dignifying their role in the circular economy.

By formalizing waste collection and providing financial stability to these workers, Gesare is proving that sustainability solutions must also be people-centered. She noted:

My strength has always been in identifying people — finding the right talent and creating opportunities for them.

Today, Green Thing Kenya transforms discarded glass, fabric, and plastics into a diverse range of eco-friendly items, from biodegradable cleaning supplies to upcycled textiles like reusable dish sponges and makeup removers.

The company also operates a solar-powered stitching station, ensuring that even the production process aligns with its sustainability ethos. Gesare noted:

I have also recently set up a glass-blowing studio — the second of its kind in Kenya in 30 years, and the first ever owned by a Kenyan woman.

Challenges that women-led startups face

While Gesara is defying the formidable hurdles that African entrepreneurs, especially women, encounter, not all women have the same opportunities. Many women in Africa face unique challenges from their male counterparts, from gender-based challenges in securing funding and social stigma, to entrenched gender roles and issues navigating global economic uncertainties. She noted:

For many women in business, funding is often evaluated based on risk rather than potential. To this day, I have never received a grant. And yet, I’ve grown from a solo entrepreneur to employing more than ten full-time staff members.

The funding challenges that women-led startups in Africa face are perhaps best captured in a 2023 report by the startup funding tracking organization, Africa: The Big Deal.

Even though Africa has the highest rate of female entrepreneurship globally, according to the African Development Bank, in 2023, startups with solo or all-female founders secured just 2.3 percent of total African startup funding. This figure rises to 15 percent for teams with at least one female founder.

A 2023 study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development found that more than a quarter of all businesses were either started or run by women.

By comparison, in Europe, entrepreneurial activity among women is just 5.7 percent, according to figures from the European Investment Bank.

Entrepreneurs like Gesare highlight the resilience of African women in business. She said:

I’m now diversifying my revenue streams through exports. As of this month, we’ve started exporting glass products.

Africa's untapped opportunities in eco-products

Research by Development Reimagined suggests that between 1994 and 2021, global trade in environmental goods grew significantly, yet the distribution remains highly imbalanced. While China dominates with 17.3 percent of global exports, Africa contributes only 1 percent, with South Africa accounting for over half of that share, suggesting that Africa has plenty of untapped opportunities in the trade of eco-products.

Gesare’s product line serves as a testament to the viability of the industry domestically, with thousands of customers now choosing biodegradable material over plastic, proving that business can be both profitable and responsible.

Green Thing Kenya’s current revenues are from three product categories: eco-friendly hotel products, eco-friendly home care products, and non-toxic cleaning products.

Some of its most popular products, such as glassware, received an overwhelmingly positive market response. In its first month of operation, the company generated over KES 200,000 (more than USD 1,500 ) in glass product sales. Today, it processes more than 4,000 bottles each month.

The company is now expanding beyond Kenya. Green Thing recently entered the export market, shipping glassware and eco-friendly home care products to international buyers. To sustain this growth, Gesare is collaborating with universities on cutting-edge sustainability research and investing in improved packaging to meet global standards.

For aspiring green entrepreneurs, her message is clear:

You have it in you to make it possible. When one thing doesn’t work, it’s often a redirection to explore what you can do with the resources available to you.