Upcycled glass from Zanzibar

Upcycled glass left behind on island

Zanzibar is like a dream! You imagine yourself in luxury with a cocktail in your hand, a view of the azure blue sea, feet in the pearly white sand. You take home a suitcase with memories and souvenirs. Only the empty bottles of your favorite drink remain behind... All packaging of the food and drinks consumed will never leave the island...

Cleaning up the island and creating employment

Like many other tropical islands, Zanzibar has a poor waste management system, resulting in mountains of empty (wine) bottles ending up in the environment. The Zanzibar Chako sees an opportunity here. An opportunity to clean up their beautiful island, provide employment and create beautiful products from recycled glass.

Upcycling pure Sang

Chako is Upcycling par excellence. Beautiful products are created with minimal input (by which we mean without a complicated technical process that costs a lot of energy) and at the same time it provides decent employment. Chako mainly employs young people and women, a group that would otherwise have difficulty finding a job.

Local woodcarving culture through upcycling

Chako's mission is simple, clean up waste and provide a decent income for locals! From a simple 'shed' behind a hotel in Stone Town, Chako has grown in recent years into a clean, spacious workshop, where almost forty employees now earn a good income. Chako trains new employees to become true craftsmen in glass processing or woodworking. This way, the local woodcarving culture is preserved.