Arusha, Tanzania · Est. 2026

Closing
the Loop
on Plastic

MlimaLoop is East Africa's pioneering rPET recycling venture — based in Arusha, Tanzania, collecting post-consumer plastic bottles across the country and transforming them into certified recycled polyester fibre for global supply chains.

16B
Plastic bottles
discarded in Africa
annually
3%
Currently
recycled in
East Africa
520
Pilot facility
Arusha, Tanzania
GRS
Global Recycled
Standard
pathway
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rPET Recycling East Africa's First GRS Certified Pathway Circular Economy ESG Compliant Supply Chain Impact Investment Arusha, Tanzania rPET Recycling East Africa's First GRS Certified Pathway Circular Economy ESG Compliant Supply Chain Impact Investment Arusha, Tanzania

The Problem
Is Clear

East Africa generates millions of tonnes of plastic waste every year. Less than 3% is recycled. The rest enters waterways, communities, and soil — destroying ecosystems and livelihoods while the world's demand for recycled materials grows.

"The infrastructure gap is the opportunity."

MlimaLoop exists to close that gap. We collect post-consumer PET bottles, process them into food-grade rPET flake and recycled polyester fibre, and supply verified, GRS-certified material to global brands demanding traceable, sustainable inputs.

This is not charity. This is industry — built on precision, data, and the economics of scarcity.

🌊

Ocean & Waterway Pollution

8 million tonnes of plastic enter the world's oceans annually. East Africa's coastline and Lake Victoria basin bear a disproportionate burden.

🏭

No Local Processing Infrastructure

Despite vast collection potential, East Africa lacks the industrial recycling capacity to process PET at scale. Bottles are landfilled or exported raw.

📦

Global Brand Demand is Surging

EU legislation now mandates recycled content targets. Global fashion and packaging brands urgently need verified, traceable rPET supply chains.

💼

No Formal Waste Economy

Thousands of informal collectors operate with no structure, no fair pricing, and no protection. MlimaLoop formalises and rewards the collection chain.

From Bottle
to Fibre

Our end-to-end processing pipeline transforms post-consumer PET bottles into certified rPET flake and recycled polyester fibre — traceable at every stage, auditable at every step.

01
🗂
Collection
Formalised networks of community collectors, buying stations, and municipal partnerships across Tanzania.
02
🔍
Sorting & Grading
Manual and mechanical sorting by resin type, colour, and contamination level. Only PET-1 proceeds.
03
⚙️
Washing & Processing
Industrial hot-wash line removes labels, caps, adhesives, and contaminants to food-contact standards.
04
🧵
Flake & Fibre
Washed PET is extruded into certified rPET flake or spun into recycled polyester staple fibre.
05
Certified Supply
GRS-certified output supplied to global textile, packaging, and manufacturing brands with full traceability.
Impact

The Numbers
That Matter

500T
per month — Year 1 capacity target

Pilot facility targeting 500 tonnes of post-consumer PET processed monthly, scaling to 2,000T as operations grow.

100s
Livelihoods supported in the collection chain at pilot scale

Formalising and fairly compensating collectors across Tanzania — growing significantly as operations scale beyond the pilot.

75%
Lower carbon vs virgin polyester

rPET production uses significantly less energy and water than virgin PET, with measurable Scope 3 reduction for brand partners.

$0
plastic to landfill — our target

Every bottle diverted is revenue earned. Our business model aligns financial returns with environmental outcomes.

GRS
Global Recycled Standard certification

Full GRS certification pathway underway — giving brand partners verified, auditable, compliant supply chain credentials.

1st
Integrated rPET facility in East Africa

No comparable end-to-end rPET processing and fibre spinning operation exists in the region. First mover. First to scale.

"Every bottle is a resource.
Every loop closed is a profit."

UN Sustainable Development Goals Aligned

SDG 8 — Decent Work SDG 12 — Responsible Production SDG 13 — Climate Action SDG 14 — Life Below Water SDG 17 — Partnerships
Why MlimaLoop

The Competitive
Advantage

01

First-Mover Infrastructure

No integrated rPET washing line and fibre spinning facility exists in East Africa. We are building the infrastructure that the region's circular economy depends on.

02

GRS-Certified Output

Brand partners increasingly require certified recycled content. Our GRS certification pathway is in progress, positioning MlimaLoop as an auditable, compliant supplier from day one of certification.

03

Embedded Supply Chain

We are building formal collector networks, not depending on spot purchasing. This means cost-controlled, reliable feedstock — a fundamental operational advantage.

04

Regulatory Tailwinds

EU mandatory recycled content legislation is driving unprecedented global demand for verified rPET. African supply is under-explored and undersupplied. Timing is everything.

05

Founder-Led & Capital Efficient

Lean, self-funded pilot model. Founder in-country, operational, and accountable. Capital deployed directly into physical infrastructure — not overhead.

06

Dual Revenue Streams

rPET flake for packaging and food-grade applications, plus recycled polyester fibre for the textile supply chain. Two markets. Diversified risk. Scalable margin.

Credentials & Roadmap

Built on
Evidence

MlimaLoop is developed against rigorous operational standards. Our supplier relationships, facility design, and certification pathway are all based on validated industry practice.

GRS Certification Pathway

Global Recycled Standard — the internationally recognised benchmark for recycled content claims.

Validated Equipment Suppliers

Washing line and spinning equipment sourced from audited international suppliers including Boretech and specialist fibre machinery manufacturers.

QC Laboratory

In-house quality control capability for IV testing, contamination analysis, and batch certification to international standards.

Tanzania Registered Entity

MlimaLoop Ltd. is a registered Tanzanian company, operating within the national regulatory framework.

Development Roadmap

Phase 1 — 2026

Foundation & Design

Company registration, facility site identification, equipment specification, supplier shortlisting, financial modelling.

Phase 2 — 2026/27

Pilot Build-Out

Equipment procurement and installation, facility fit-out (520m²), collection network establishment, first production runs.

Phase 3 — 2027

GRS Certification & Commercial Sales

GRS audit, first certified output, commercial supply agreements with international brand partners.

Phase 4 — 2028+

Scale & Expansion

Capacity expansion to 2,000T/month, regional network development across East Africa, Series A raise.

Partner
With Us

We are actively seeking impact investors, ESG-aligned funds, NGO partners, and global brands looking to verify their recycled material supply chains. If you are serious about the circular economy in Africa, we want to hear from you.

Location Arusha, Tanzania
Entity MlimaLoop Ltd. — Registered in Tanzania, Est. 2026
Focus rPET Recycling · Circular Economy · East Africa

Latest from
MlimaLoop

Updates, milestones, and thinking from the team building East Africa's circular economy — published directly from Arusha.

Insight

Why East Africa is the next frontier for the circular economy

The infrastructure gap, the regulatory tailwinds, and why 2026 is the moment to build.

Read Article →
Coming Soon

From bottle to fibre: what rPET processing actually looks like

A behind-the-scenes look at the five stages of our processing pipeline.

Coming Soon

The collectors: the people who make the loop possible

Formalising the collection economy and why it matters commercially and socially.

Read All Articles →

Latest from
MlimaLoop

Updates, milestones, and thinking from the team building East Africa's circular economy.

Insight

Why East Africa is the next frontier for the circular economy

The infrastructure gap, the regulatory tailwinds, and why 2026 is the moment to build.

Read Article →
Coming Soon

From bottle to fibre: what rPET processing actually looks like

A behind-the-scenes look at the five stages of our processing pipeline.

Coming Soon

The collectors: the people who make the loop possible

Formalising the collection economy and why it matters commercially and socially.

Read All Articles →