Apply for the Circular Prop here
Through a collaboration with The Or Foundation—an NGO working alongside the Kantamanto Market ecosystem—conventional, single-use event materials were replaced with recycled biocomposites and upcycled textiles.
Installation Element | Material Innovation | Environmental & Practical Impact |
Red "TEDx" Stage Letters | Made with Cassaboard—a biocomposite made from post-consumer Kantamanto T-shirts and cassava-based binders. | Diverted ~20 kg of single-use textile waste from local landfills. Material is fire-resistant, durable, and sound-absorbent. |
Stage Rug | Handcrafted using Tarnty, a circular yarn developed entirely from discarded T-shirts recovered from secondhand import bales. | Repurposed single-use event garments into functional interior decor; each ball uses one full T-shirt. |
Acoustic PA System | Custom-built speaker cabinets encased in compressed, colorful textile waste from Kantamanto. | Replaced standard plastic casing with local, recycled materials without sacrificing sound clarity. |
Tote Bags | Upcycled directly from discarded denim waste sourced within Kantamanto Market. | Replaced single-use promotional merchandise; sales proceeds directly fund local debt-relief and emergency healthcare for market retailers. |
Local Manufacturing & Circular Infrastructure
The equipment behind Cassaboard was built in Ghana using recycled structural metal and e-waste—proving that local machinery can power local waste remediation.
Events across the globe frequently generate short-term waste through temporary stages and branded promotional items. TEDxAccra and The Or Foundation designed this infrastructure for longevity from day one. Rather than retiring the stage letters and rug, the set is now managed as a shared resource available to TEDx organizers across West Africa.
"Waste immediately inspires a messy visual that MTTL is actively debunking. This project demonstrates how what is usually dismissed as rubbish can become a beautiful, functional material for everyday settings. We are manifesting these possibilities one board and one ball at a time."
— Kennie MacCarthy, Assistant Manager, Material Technology & Transformation Lab (MTTL)
"Bringing a piece of Kantamanto onto the TEDxAccra stage was our way of providing physical evidence of what’s possible—proving that waste is simply a resource waiting for imagination, and that circular design should be our industrial standard."
— Klenam Fiadzoe, Co-Organizer, TEDxAccra
How You Can Act
Borrow the Stage Set: Are you organizing an event or TEDx conference in West Africa? Get more information and Apply for the Circular Prop here.
Support Retail Solidarity: Learn more about how upcycled merchandise funds healthcare and debt relief for Kantamanto market women through The Or Foundation.
Follow the Journey: Track where the recycled stage letters travel next by following @TEDxAccraGh and @TheOrFoundation on social media.