Startups
Connor Winter (left) and Ben Gibbons of Greenbrick Workshops CIC surrounded by some of their plastic bricks.
Published: May 21, 2021 | Updated: 22nd May 2021
An ambitious startup which is turning plastic waste into bricks in an old Hovis lorry trailer is hoping to empower communities in developing countries to follow suit.
Greenbrick Workshops CIC was founded by social entrepreneur Ben Gibbons, 24, of Corfe Mullen last year.
He was later joined by Connor Winter, 23, from Bournemouth.
Both first met in Nepal while working with rural communities to reduce the damage caused by plastic pollution.
After catching the last flight back from Nepal before the borders closed in March 2020, they put their heads together to create a product.
Their vision was born in Nepal where plastic is everywhere but homes – if, indeed, they exist – were cold.
Joined by design engineer Ella Fenwick earlier this year to lead prototype development, the duo have now created the UK’s first plastic brick workshop.
It’s housed inside a lorry trailer, previously used for transporting Hovis bread, at High Mead Farm in Ham Lane, Longham.
Here, waste plastic is washed and shredded, heated at up to 250 degrees, and pushed into a steel mould.
The mould is then cooled, and the plastic extracted and refined.
The resultant bricks are considered ideal building materials for the world’s fastest growing housing markets where most people build their own homes, such as Nepal.
Advantages of the plastic bricks include:
An added benefit is that there is a plentiful supply of plastic in developing countries where it is either burnt – causing chronic health problems and greenhouse emissions – or leaked into the environment.
The team plan to work with NGOs (non- governmental organisations) in Zimbabwe and Mozambique to set up local workshops that can use their technology to build affordable houses.
Their ambition is to help establish 1,000 workshops in ten years which will create the bricks for 1.5m new homes.
This will prevent around six million tonnes of carbon dioxide otherwise released from plastic burning and the production of clay bricks and cement.
It will recycle around 800,000 tonnes of plastic otherwise headed for the ocean, or around one per cent of global ocean plastic leakage.
Greenbrick will support the growth of the workshops and license its technology for a ten per cent commission.
Ben, who gained a BA in anthropology and a Masters in English at the University of Oxford, said: “As a team, what makes us strong is our connection to a wider community.
Ella Fenwick
“What we’re doing was made possible by an open source network called Precious Plastic which has enabled us to use an open source mould for our first prototype.
“We’re simply refining it to enable it to scale more effectively.
“The solutions are already out there; our task is to make sure that everyone has access to them.”
The Greenbrick start-up was made possible because of a £11,500 loan from YTKO Group’s Outset Finance programme.
Ben said: “Initially, I tried to apply for grants directly, but it’s very difficult to get funding for an idea.
“We needed to get the equipment that would allow us to make an early prototype. That’s when I met the team at Outset Finance.
“I couldn’t believe how quickly they acted.”
An official delivery partner of the government’s Start Up Loan scheme, Outset Finance provides new businesses with a sustainable solution to the challenges of affordable finance; especially for start-ups and young businesses with no track record and a lack of financial collateral.
After making contact with his local advisor, several meetings were held to talk through Ben’s forecasts and other aspects of the business.
Ben said: “The whole process took just three weeks from start to finish, which was incredible.
“The advisor helped me to improve my application, suggesting that I look at my competitors to consider how to position our Community Interest Company (CIC).
“This help was invaluable and certainly helped to make the application go through so quickly.
“I’m really thankful for the support I have received from Outset Finance.
“They had the open mind to take time to understand what we are planning to achieve.
“Their loan has been crucial to what we’ve been able to achieve so far.”
Greenbrick is one of more than 22,000 businesses to have been supported by YTKO over a 14-year period.
Analysis of 36 funded programmes across the South West, South East, London, East of England and Midlands, published in March, showed YTKO assisted 22,508 growth-ambitious businesses and 30,752 entrepreneurs.
They included 47 per cent who were previously out of work, 44 per cent in receipt of benefits and 27 per cent with entry-level qualifications.
Bev Hurley CBE, YTKO Group CEO, pictured left, said: “We are incredibly proud of achieving such high levels of both improved productivity and job creation, increasing the competitiveness of the UK economy during the longest period of economic uncertainty in the UK.”
Two types of plastic are currently recycled by Greenbrick:
