Partnering with The Or Foundation for Sustainable Event Infrastructure
When we set out to organize TEDxAccra under this year’s theme, Symbiosis, Jesse and I made a quiet pact: we didn't want this event to be just another conference where people talk about sustainable futures while sitting on single-use staging, framed by plastic letters that get tossed into a landfill the moment the lights go down. In a city like Accra, where flooding and polluted waterways are constant reminders of our waste crisis, talking about circularity isn't enough. We needed to put it into practice.
Bringing a piece of Kantamanto onto the TEDxAccra stage would be our way of highlighting the vital work being done by The Or Foundation. It was a chance to show physical evidence of what’s possible, to prove that "waste" is simply a resource waiting for human imagination, and to demonstrate that circular design ought to be our industrial standard.
Seeing the speakers take the stage framed by vibrant red "TEDx" letters made from 20 kilograms of recycled T-shirt waste and cassava binder was deeply moving. Standing on a rug woven from Tarnty—a circular yarn spun from discarded single-use event shirts shipped from overseas—and listening to the speakers through a full PA system built entirely from recycled textile waste changed the energy of the room. It transformed the stage from a passive backdrop into a active, living witness to the solutions we envisaged.
The collaboration went far beyond aesthetics:
Material Innovation: The stage letters were engineered at the Material Technology and Transformation Lab (MTTL) in Old Fadama using Cassaboard—a locally developed biocomposite made from post-consumer clothing waste and agricultural cassava binders. The machinery used to press these boards was itself built right here in Ghana from recycled metal and e-waste.
Closed-Loop Merch: Instead of adding to the city's waste, our limited-edition TEDxAccra tote bags were upcycled from Kantamanto denim waste, with proceeds directly supporting The Or Foundation's Secondhand Solidarity Fund to provide debt relief and emergency assistance for local retailers.
Designing for the Next Life: Conference infrastructure is notoriously wasteful. Rather than shoving the stage set into storage or letting it decay, we are working to make these recycled letters and the Tarnty rug available to TEDx organizers across West Africa. The next challenge is testing whether regional transit networks can make circulating these materials seamless and affordable.
It was a powerful reminder of what happens when local innovation, environmental justice, and creative enterprise intersect. The stage set's journey is far from over, and I can't wait to see which West African city gets to host these letters next. Onward.