BY DARGIE KAHSAY
Bethelhem Dejene is a youth businesswomen, globally certified manager, who initiated and developed several waste management and recycling projects. Her innovative business focuses on pulp, paper and paper products industry. She is founder and CEO of Zafree Papers PLC, a factory engaged in producing paper and paper products from agricultural waste products mainly straw.
Bethelhem received an award from the Seedstars DONE land restoration prize in 2019. She is also one of the 100 global women leaders by the Vedica Scholars Program and marked as one of the young upcoming influential women business leaders in Ethiopia. She is also a founding member of the Resilient 40, a partnership of Africa and the UK change-makers with a common goal of promoting climate resilience in Africa.
Recently Bethelhem shared her experience during a webinar discussion entitled “Climate Action in Addis: Youth Leading the Way” a discussion between seven Ethiopian youth engaged in climate resilient businesses and climate advocates with high-level climate action champions for Conference of Parties (COP)25 and COP 26, organized by British Council, Ethiopia Country branch.
Speaking at the event Bethelhem said that “as a person grow-up surrounded by trees and a very refreshing environment and coming across the fact that the paper industry alone takes the blame of 14 percent of the world’s climate challenge was a very shocking experience for me.” With this in mind, her business idea, ZafreePapers PLC, was born three years ago which is a company that makes a 100 percent tree-free paper from agricultural wastages.
During her short stay with The Ethiopian Herald after the event, Bethelhem stated that ZafreePapers wasted nothing as it is working a circular system and the entire value chain production process is eco-friendly.
According to Bethelhem, ZafreePapers value chain starts from buying the agricultural wastes from smallholder farmers which is traditionally burnt in the field sites to condition their soil, at the same time, contributing in devastating climate change. After collecting the agricultural wastes from the fields, she said, the process starts to produce pulp production using 90 percent less water and 70 percent less energy compared to the traditional way of paper making process from trees.
After processing this, Bethelhem noted, the factory reuses the liquid-byproduct, at the same time give back the solid-by product which is an organic fertilizer to the small holder farmers for free so that they can use the waste product of the factory to condition their soil.
“We are working with around eight thousand small holder farmers to get the agricultural wastes” she stated adding “we don’t use the traditional, carbon emitting transportation system to deliver the raw-material as we are found near the farmers”
Bethelhem reiterated that so far, her business was handmade paper production, but in few months’ time it will shift to a medium scale factory as it is finalizing pre-operation activities.
Bethelhem is not only implementing environmental friendly business for herself, she is working in collaboration with other paper product factories to create awareness so that they can shift their manufacturing to sustainable and tree-free production.
She underlined that climate change is affecting our plant. The private is the main actor in both protecting at the same time damaging the environment. Hence, she argued, there is much more businesses can do quickly and decisively to minimize the harm on the environment. “Zafree decided to make innovation, green life style and environmental protection our culture,” she said calling private actors especially the youth to act to address environmental challenges with new innovations, initiating eco friendly and resilient businesses.
Jodahi Bezabih is a young Ethiopian climate advocate and founder of Influencer Network basically advocating environmental protection and youth involvement. He said that Influencer Network promotes engagement of various actors in climate action to come together to enhance the collaboration in protecting the environment.
Influencer Network is also working with the Ethiopian government in promoting the Green Legacy Initiative to enhance the plantation and to mobilize the youth mainly, Jodahi said. He is investing on promoting green legacy, mitigation measures, creating climate resilient economy and identifying initiatives in the climate related issues. He calls the youth generation and private actors to join the efforts of keeping our planet resilient.
Yared Abera, is Global Youth Climate Leader from Ethiopia and founder of The Youth Print, a youth organization. Yared has participated the past three consecutive COP sessions, except in one session, he was the only representative of Ethiopian youth.
According to Yared amplifying the engagement and participation of the young generation is a critical issue in the climate action which helps for the continuity of the climate related initiatives and innovations. Promoting the initiatives and innovations of the youth in the climate action would also play in voicing the youth generation at the global level.
“I have been taking part in the past three COP sessions, Ethiopian youth usually miss such opportunities though there are initiatives and exemplary activities by the youth in combating climate change.”
As to him Ethiopia is leading the global climate action practically in planting trees through its green legacy initiative, in addition to engaging in innovations, climate resilient economic activities and advocating climate actions.
Sharing their experiences during the vent, UN high-level champions on climate action appointed for COP 25 and COP 26 said that the capacity and role of the non-state actors in climate action can bring huge change in addition to the efforts of states and governments.
Gonzalo Munoz from Chile was a UN High-Level Champion on Climate of the COP 25 which was hosted by Chile. Gonzalo said that the history of climate action is mostly relying on state actors. But after the state actors set a convention on climate action, the state actors agreed for the broader participation of private actors in order to solve the problem and to widen the efforts of combating climate change.
The state actors embrace the capacity of other actors to mobilize the broader community of sub- regional, businesses, investors, civil societies and others in the fighting against climate change, he noted. The idea is that by recognizing the role of non-state actors, to invite formally to become relevant parties of the solution. As part of this initiative, they named climate action champions per year by the COP host state from the non-state actors aiming to mobilize the actors cooperatively and to promote more engagement of the private sector in climate action.
According to Gonzalo states take this initiative in order to ensure the continuity of the climate action agenda by the non-state actors. In this regard, enabling the knowledge in business areas, promoting the youth efforts in innovational activities and initiating climate resilient economy is vital for the sustainability of the agenda. In general, the young generation should take the responsibility of the climate action agenda to keep healthy planet.
For him, the voice of the youth is really helpful to take correct actions; hence, the engagement and broader participation of the youth generation will enhance the actions. In addition, since there are climate injustices, mainly for Africa, as a dominated by young demography, African youths should actively participate both to minimize the high climate vulnerability of Africa and to combat the climate injustice against Africa. He praises the activities of the seven young Ethiopians who presented their efforts.
Netsanet Demoz, British Council Ethiopia Country Director stated that the experience sharing is part of the COP 26 session, to be hosted by UK, as the UK Government committed to make the session inclusive and participatory.
For Netsanet though the younger generation are affected by the climate change, most of the time, their voices are not heard and are not represented with enough number on sessions and decisions. The discussion is to create an opportunity for the young Ethiopians, innovators and advocators to engage in this subject to be represented and to be heard their voices.
According to Ntesanet, though there is no clear decision yet, there are efforts to give an opportunity for the Ethiopian youth to attend the COP 26 in Glasgow though there are challenges including the COVID-19 and other obstacles.
The Ethiopian Herald July 31/2021
