Salubata – Crafting Shoes from Plastic Waste with Style and Purpose

In the crowded streets of Lagos, where flooding chokes drainage systems clogged with discarded plastic, Salubata saw an opportunity, a chance to turn pollution into possibility.

Reimagining Waste as Design

Co-founded in 2020 by environmental scientist and creative director Fela Buyi Akinse, along with Yewande Akinse, Salubata creates modular shoes from recycled plastic waste sourced from waterways and landfills across Nigeria. The innovation is simple yet genius: a single durable sole supports multiple interchangeable uppers, so customers can mix and match styles without buying multiple pairs. This not only saves resources but offers sustainable fashion with a personal touch.
Their “one sole fits all” strategy dramatically cuts manufacturing energy, up to 70% saved, since making multiple soles is the biggest energy cost in shoe production.

Impact That Steps Beyond Fashion

Every pair of Salubata shoes sold converts roughly 145.9 kg of CO₂ emissions, while giving new life to millions of plastic pieces. The company works with 50+ waste collectors, many of them women, turning cleanup into income.
Plus, 5% of profits go directly to feeding children and empowering women in underserved communities, blending circular business with social purpose.

Momentum and Recognition

Salubata quickly gained global attention:

• Winner of the African Youth Adaptation Solutions (YouthADAPT) Challenge, earning a $100K grant and accelerator support.
• Second place at NBA Africa’s Triple-Double Accelerator Demo Day—securing $40K and validation alongside just three other top startups.
• Winner at Rwanda’s Kigali Startup Festival 2022, securing a $10K Green Innovation prize.
• Named an IEEE Entrepreneurship Star—highlighting modular engineering innovation with real-world impact.
• Recognized by the African Union, UNEP, and a slew of global sustainability awards for turning trash into treasure.

Global Footprint and Ambitious Vision

Not satisfied with influencing just Nigeria, Salubata has expanded into Europe and North America, selling online globally.
Their mission? To create a truly circular footwear economy, one where shoes are continuously recycled, closing the loop on plastic waste. The goal: 1 million modular shoes per year, converting billions of PET bottles and empowering hundreds of thousands—with global impact.

Why Salubata Deserves the Spotlight

This isn’t just about sneakers. Salubata embodies innovation that is:

• Circular and scalable: zeroing in on waste as design material
• Socially rooted: creators that protect the environment and empower women
• Globally resonant: local solution with worldwide relevance and reach

Salubata shows how fashion can fight plastic pollution, one stylish, modular shoe at a time.