Stage of Innovation: Proof of Concept (You have created something to show the innovation can work)

Problem: We are solving the problem of plastic pandemic in Nigeria and Africa and at the same time using these waste plastic to produce eco friendly building bricks that are cheaper to reduce the cost of building or owning a decent home for low income earners, hence tackling the homelessness and the housing deficit in Nigeria and Africa. In addition, we have identified that interior design is a major material intensive sector in building and also accounts for over 15% of the total building cost and also a sizeable percent of the totl building carbon emissions, hence we have designed sustainable and affordable interior design products that would help further reduce the cost of building and or owning a decent home for low income owners using environmentally sustainable materials which are mostly wastes ma in threatening the environment.

Unique Selling Point: Plastic bricks are currently been produced and used in commercial quantities across various countries in Africa like Ghana, Sierra Leone, Kenya and even in Nigeria. However most of the available plastic bricks have been faced with criticisms as to the flammability of plastics which has made the market acceptance and consumption of the product very minimal. Identifying this problem, I conducted a research alongside some lecturers at the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto and I was able to come up with a fire retardant technology which has been tested on the product and has successfully eradicated the fear of flammability of the bricks. Also most of the bricks are basically made for road paving, blocks have been made using the traditional mould method that still requires the addition of a binder like cement to hold the blocks in place, but mine is different in this regard, as my plastic bricks are made using interlocking mould designs which means the bricks would be used to build using interlocking technology similar to lego bricks which would require very minimal or no need for cement as they would also be reinforced with steel sockets that keeps the building in place in the case of strong winds or hurricanes . Our bricks can also be easily unstacked from a location instead of demolition and reused to build in another location reducing economic loss and promoting sustainable development and protecting our climate. Our production process jas also been designed to use solar energy. I led my team to design the first DC solar powered plastic extrusion machine which eliminates the use of petrol powered engines for our heating needs. The prototype was exhibited at the 2021 STIC Regional Finals by Enactus Nigeria and the Nigerian Content Management and Development Board at the University of Abuja and was adjudged as one of Nigeria's top 15 innovative technologies. Our production process does not contribute to the problem we are tackling which is climate change, hence it's sustainable unlike others which uses traditional heatingvmethod such as open heating by firewood, coal or diesel powered heating containers contributing to carbon emissions. In interior design we are utilizing sustainable materials that are eco friendly and affordable unlike others using materials that encourage the depletion of our natural forest resources like the use of wood for furniture, we used used tyres for furniture instead promoting sustainable living and discouraging deforestation.