Nairobi-based clean-tech firm Green Stem Products has launched operations using bagasse—the fibrous agricultural waste residue from western Kenya’s sugar cane mills—to produce fully compostable commercial food packaging. The manufacturing initiative transforms raw industrial waste into structural takeaway containers, plates, and trays that are completely free of harmful PFAS “forever chemicals” that persist in ecosystems and in the human body. The initiative taps into growing regulatory and consumer pressure to reduce plastic waste. However, experts caution that the benefits of compostable packaging depend on functioning waste collection and industrial composting infrastructure—systems that Kenya is still developing. Cost remains another significant barrier: sustainable packaging typically carries a higher price tag than plastic, posing real challenges for restaurants and food vendors operating on tight margins.
RFI
