Next Titan Finalist, Harvey Oiku launches packaging innovation
The struggle for N7million and an SUV started with over 18,000 young Nigerians exhibiting their great entrepreneurial skills, resilience, and innovations on the Next Titan Show.
The path grew tougher and the number got leaner. From 50 people in the boot camp to 18 people in the house, now we are here with only four of Nigeria’s great pool of young entrepreneurs; the fantastic four whose resilience and business acumen have been tested and proven.
Harvey Oiku is one of the finalists and he is a man with a solution Nigeria needs. Plastics.ng is Harvey Oiku’s solution to the problem of poor packaging quality and accessibility to products faced by small business owners.
Speaking at the launch of Plastics.ng on December 5th, Harvey Oiku said Plastic.ng is a unique solution developed to bring quality plastic packaging closer to the end-users. He developed an e-commerce website that brings a packaging store online and with only a few clicks packaging for food and beverages, hair and skincare products, agricultural and household items can be delivered to your doorstep. Plastics.ng eliminates the challenges of damaged packages as care is quality is a key phrase in the company.
Harvey Oiku described his journey on the Next Titan Show as incredible. On what brought him this far, he said;
“I came in well prepared with the experience of starting and running a business. It was more than just an idea; it was a running business. The challenges I faced from running the manufacturing side of the business for 5-6 years and the e-commerce website for one year prepared me for the show. The lessons I had learned were my arsenal to tackle the challenges given to us week in week out. Also, being a passionate team player is also on the front burner of what has brought me this far.”
Seeking to solve the problem of packaging materials faced by small scale manufacturers led Harvey and his team to develop a digital solution that delivers great value to their doorsteps. Using social media and its algorithms helped target their desired customers across various sectors giving them 100% of their revenue from the online space.
Mr. Gabriel Idahosa, the Vice President of Lagos State Chamber of Commerce, who was at the event described the innovation as an indication of the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit imbibed by Nigerian youths. He commended Harvey Oiku for his tenacity with building the brand to the stage it currently is and celebrated the innovation they have brought to the plastics manufacturing industry.
The beauty of is not just in what they presently offer but in the green future they are pushing for. In a time where plastic waste creates a humongous challenge in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole, Plastic.ng is looking into research with Plasticslab.ng to develop a strong recycling initiative that works. They will tackle the problem of waste by recycling into commercially viable products.
Plastics.ng is also looking to graduate from the use of petroleum-based materials that are non-biodegradable to Poly Lactic Resin which is made from corn starch. Poly Lactic Resin is 100% bio-degradable and its use brings us closer to the green environment we desire.
Working in collaboration with recycling companies, Plastics.ng sees a picture where their products are 100% biodegradable in the next 10-15 years.
For Harvey Oiku, this is beyond winning the N7million from The Next Titan Show; it is more about slowly fizzling out petroleum-based plastics to make way for biodegradable products and a greener environment.
See more photos from the event below: