Converting plastic waste into building blocks for schools

By building classrooms from recycled plastic, UNICEF has achieved a ‘first’ for Africa. Van den Bosch is supporting the innovative Plastic Bricks development project in Ivory Coast again this year.

UNICEF stands up for the rights of children worldwide. Van den Bosch has supported the UN children’s rights organisation in its activities since 2011.

Connection with the food market
“As a bulk logistics service provider, we deal with the transport of raw materials, including foodstuffs, on a daily basis”, says Rico Daandels, CEO of Van den Bosch. “That’s why we have deliberately chosen to make a clear connection with the food market in Africa. With our support for UNICEF, we want to make a meaningful contribution to improving the health of children in developing countries there.”

Support for Ivory Coast
This year support will again go to the innovative Plastic Bricks project. With support from Van den Bosch, this development project was able to start in 2019. Its importance is reflected in the fact that 1.5 million children in Ivory Coast do not go to school because there are simply not enough classrooms. With support from UNICEF, the Colombian organisation Conceptos Plásticos turns plastic waste into building bricks for classrooms in Ivory Coast. In 2019, no less than 130 tonnes of plastic waste was recycled and processed into building bricks for schools. This means that 26 classrooms for 1,300 children have been realised in Ivory Coast.

“By building classrooms from recycled plastic, UNICEF has achieved a ‘first’ for Africa.”

Promising project
Daandels is enthusiastic about Plastic Bricks: “The rapidly growing amount of plastic waste is a global problem which we couldn’t ignore. With the Plastic Bricks project, UNICEF is working in a unique and constructive way to recycle plastic waste for the benefit of the local population in Ivory Coast. It’s a promising and innovative project which our organisation is proud to support.”

Learn more
The partnership with UNICEF is part of our Sustainability Program. Read more about our vision and the results. Want to know more about Plastic Bricks? Check out www.unicef.com.