In the DRC, Dorcas Mumbembe makes paper bags from banana fibres

Creative and innovative, Dorcas Mumbembe manufactures paper packaging from banana fibres. In 2020, the young Congolese woman founded Eco Plus, ranked among the 15 best start-ups in the world participating in the Circular Economy Program in Germany. Today, the start-up’s clients in the DRC include major groups such as Bolloré, Total, etc.

In two years of existence, Eco Plus has participated in more than 15 entrepreneurship contests and competitions in Africa. It has won several prizes and grants in the DRC, in Africa and around the world. In 2021, the young Congolese start-up sold more than 20,000 paper bags in the Congolese market. A real success for the young, 23-year-old entrepreneur, who also intends to patent her idea this year at the international level.

Banana fibre-based paper bags? The concept may sound strange at first, but Dorcas Mumbembe has turned it into a viable alternative to the wood pulp used to make Kraft paper. This alternative to wood is more environmentally friendly and does not contribute to deforestation or climate change.

It was from a sad experience that she got the idea of making bags from banana fibre, she tells us enthusiastically. While she was a student, she delivered vegetables at home to support herself. But one day, a customer returned her goods, saying that her vegetables were of poor quality. « I used to deliver my vegetables in plastic bags. Some vegetables, especially tomatoes, wilted due to the heat from the bag. When I got home, I told my mother that I didn’t understand what had happened to the vegetables. She was the one who made me realize that the problem was the plastic bags. And right away, I thought she was right, “she tells Africa Women Experts.

From there, she decided to use kraft paper bags for her deliveries. But she was forced to abandon the idea, because each paper package was 20 times the price of a plastic bag. This significantly reduced her profit margin. Therefore, she came up with  the “crazy” idea of creating her own paper to make her packaging.

One foot at university and one foot in the business

As a communication student at the Pedagogical University of Kinshasa, she was also interested in chemistry, a subject that had fascinated her since her high school years. While looking through her old chemistry notebooks and doing research, she realised that paper could be made from cellulose. A substance found in the fibres of banana trees. « By nature, I am an environmentalist. I thought I had to find a raw material that was plentiful, not too expensive, and did not contribute to climate change. That’s how I discovered that banana trees have a very high cellulose content compared to other plants. I decided to start with banana trees, “she explains.

With the help of chemist friends, she produced her first paper prototype from a formula she had developed. She then perfected it, and ended up producing a hydrophobic paper, capable of resisting water. A first in the DRC, she rejoices.

Although the original aim of her experiment was to meet her own needs, she then decided to turn it into a business idea, because in the DRC, other retailers were faced with the same problem of paper packaging as she was. In early 2020, she created the start-up Eco Plus and thus realized her lifelong dream of entrepreneurship. “I got into entrepreneurship as a student. Ever since, I’ve wanted to be an entrepreneur. I wasn’t planning to work for anyone. I couldn’t see myself finishing school, being unemployed, and then blaming the government. As a result, I had one foot at university and one foot in the business,”she explains.

Financing her start-up through entrepreneurship contests

An innovative project requires an innovative strategy. To finance her start-up, she decided to participate in entrepreneurship contests in her country, in Africa and internationally. A strategy inspired by English-speaking entrepreneurs, she says. « I told myself that the competitions made available to entrepreneurs were an opportunity to finance her project. Generally, Anglophones are the ones who benefit from them. They are wide awake. If in a competition, 10 Africans must participate, you will see that 80% are anglophones. I saw this mentality among English-speaking entrepreneurs and I thought, “Why not try it? “,she says.

In a short space of time, the young Congolese start-up competed in a dozen events and won grants, funds, and awards of up to 30 000 euros or dollars. But in addition to the funds, the competitions allowed the entrepreneur to “build a network that she can count on no matter what the problem or situation,”she says.

Since February 2022, Eco Plus has been the only African and French-speaking company to take part in the EU-funded Circular Economy Program. Alongside 14 other start-ups from different countries, the start-up will participate in a four-month training course and receive a grant.

Exporting paper bags to Africa and the world

To the valiant heart, nothing is impossible ! In the future, Dorcas Mumbembe has the ambition to conquer other markets. Her dream is to market her paper packaging in Central Africa, Africa and the world.

Today, the start-up focuses mainly on the DRC. It offers employment to other young Congolese. For the entrepreneur, this is her greatest pride. “Yesterday, I was a job seeker. Today, I have my own job and I can offer it to others,”she says.

In the country, the company is also fighting against plastic bags. In 2021, it saved 20,000 plastic bags thanks to its paper packaging, particularly in the food industry, fashion, industry and supermarkets.

For the entrepreneur, the impact of Eco Plus is still limited, but a long way has already been covered. And the future looks bright.

Danielle Engolo