Joseph Nguthiru, a 27-year-old Kenyan engineer whose company, HyaPak Ecotech Limited, has turned an environmental burden into a tool for sustainability./PHOTO; HyaPak
In today’s world, where countries face climate change, loss of biodiversity, and rising levels of waste, solutions often emerge from local innovators rather than international meetings.
One such story is that of Joseph Nguthiru, a 27-year-old Kenyan engineer whose company, HyaPak Ecotech Limited, has turned an environmental burden into a tool for sustainability.
Nguthiru was recently named a 2025 Young Champion of the Earth by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and its partner, Planet A.
The award, UNEP’s highest recognition for young environmental leaders, honored HyaPak’s approach of turning the invasive water hyacinth into biodegradable alternatives to single-use plastic items, particularly wrappers used in tree planting.
He was chosen alongside two other innovators, from India and the United States.
His selection highlights how African-led ideas are shaping solutions that respond both to local realities and to global environmental concerns.
From Weed to Resource
HyaPak’s origin lies in a problem that has troubled Kenyan communities for decades: the spread of the water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes).
The weed, first introduced into Africa in the late 19th century, grows rapidly and chokes water bodies.
In Lake Naivasha, a key freshwater source in Kenya’s Rift Valley, has blocked fishing routes, interfered with irrigation, and created breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Nguthiru, an engineer committed to solving practical environmental problems, explained the seriousness of the crisis in his statements to UNifeed, the UN’s video news service, which covered his work in the context of the award.
He described how the plant, once it spreads over the surface of water, cuts off oxygen needed by fish and other aquatic life:
“According to UNEP, water hyacinth is the world’s most invasive aquatic weed. It floats on top of water, and it blocks oxygen from reaching underground. And this kills important aquatic life. In addition to that, it is also a problem when it comes to navigation, irrigation, fishing, and other important blue economic activities, and also forms a breeding ground for mosquitoes that then cause malaria to the communities living around.”
Attempts to remove the weed through manual clearing or mechanical harvesters have been costly and temporary. For many communities, it appeared to be an endless problem.
Nguthiru’s key insight was that the very weed causing destruction could be repurposed to tackle another pressing challenge: plastic pollution.
Building a Circular Solution
Kenya banned single-use plastic bags in 2017, one of the first African countries to do so.
While the move reduced visible plastic waste in markets and streets, it create
d a demand for affordable, sustainable packaging alternatives. HyaPak stepped into this gap.
Nguthiru describes his approach simply:
“So, our solution at HyaPak is to use one problem of water hyacinth to solve yet another problem of plastic waste pollution while creating green jobs for the local communities.”
The process begins with harvesting and drying the hyacinth. The biomass is then processed into a natural composite that can be molded into different products.
The result is a material that looks and feels like plastic but breaks down after use.
“What makes our solution unique is that we are filling in the vacuum of making products that feel like plastics, perform like plastics, but they are going to biodegrade and disintegrate after a short time,” he told UNifeed.
HyaPak first experimented with straws and disposable plates, but soon shifted to products that could have a bigger environmental impact, such as packaging materials and tree seedling wrappers.
Reforesting with Biodegradable Wrappers
The company’s standout product is the biodegradable seedling bag. Traditionally, nurseries in Kenya raise seedlings in small black plastic bags.
These have to be cut away before planting, leaving behind plastic waste that accumulates in farms and forests.
HyaPak’s bags change this process. As Nguthiru explained:
“For normal trees, you will have to remove the plastic bag so that you can plant the tree. But for ours, you insert this seedling into the soil together with the plant. And as it decomposes, it releases nutrients that accelerate the growth rate of this plant.”
The bag slowly releases nitrogen and phosphorus into the soil, helping the seedling establish roots and increasing survival rates.
This feature links directly to Kenya’s ambitious tree-planting campaign, which aims to grow 15 billion trees by 2032.
For government agencies, community groups, and nurseries, the biodegradable wrappers provide both an environmental and practical advantage.
HyaPak has also explored other applications of the hyacinth material. One is a carton lining that helps preserve fresh food during transport.
“We create this lining that is put inside cartons that transport food. This keeps food fresh without the need for cold storage and refrigerators over long distances,” Nguthiru said.
Recognition and Scaling
UNEP’s Young Champions of the Earth award is designed to help early-stage environmental solutions grow. Each winner receives US$20,000 in seed funding, mentoring, and communications support.
This year’s winners, Nguthiru, Jinali Mody of India, and Noemi Florea of the U.S., were chosen for their ability to combine innovation with real-world impact.
The 2025 cohort also joined the first Planet A pitch competition, shown in a YouTube documentary.
The competition offered the chance to secure a US$100,000 grant and potentially attract US$1 million in investment.
For Nguthiru, such support provides a chance to expand HyaPak beyond pilot projects into large-scale production.
He stressed that the idea is not just for Kenya:
“And we hope that we can create a solution right here in Kenya that can be replicated across the world and simultaneously create the ripple benefits in the other countries that are also being faced by similar problems.”
A Model for Local Innovation
The water hyacinth problem is not unique to Kenya. Across Africa, from Uganda’s Lake Victoria to Nigeria’s rivers, communities struggle with the plant.
By showing how it can be turned into useful products, HyaPak offers a model that can be adapted elsewhere.
Nguthiru summed up his company’s mission clearly:
“Our mission at HyaPak is to try to use this invasive weed for something important.”
By doing so, HyaPak addresses three issues at once: controlling an invasive species, reducing plastic waste, and helping with reforestation.
UNEP highlighted the company for its demonstration of a working circular economy in practice.
For Kenya, the innovation adds to a growing list of homegrown environmental solutions, from clean cooking technologies to off-grid solar power.
For Nguthiru, the goal is not only personal recognition but creating a system that benefits communities while restoring ecosystems.
Looking Ahead
As Nguthiru’s work gains global attention, questions remain about how quickly such innovations can scale.
Producing biodegradable wrappers and packaging in large volumes will require investment in equipment, distribution networks, and partnerships with both public and private institutions.
But the foundation is strong: the raw material is abundant, the need for alternatives to plastic is urgent, and the environmental benefits are clear.
Nguthiru represents a generation of African entrepreneurs using local knowledge to respond to shared global challenges.
His journey from Lake Naivasha’s hyacinth-clogged waters to UNEP’s global stage illustrates how small, science-based interventions can ripple outward into broader change.
By turning a weed into a resource, HyaPak is showing that the solutions to some of the world’s most stubborn problems may already be in our own backyards.
