Watch: Kenyan entrepreneur fashions fish-skin leather to decrease animal waste

In a short video clip by Deutsche Welle we meet an innovative Kenyan man who has found a way to reduce waste and cut down on the traditional use of cow leather, which, because of the accelerated state of meat processing, is also highly problematic for the environment. Instead of throwing fish skin away, the “green entrepreneur” is turning it into leather, providing both a unique and eco-friendly solution to an everyday issue.

As it stands, practical approaches to pollution control have meant the determination of an environmental quality standard and, for the average individual, the development and innovation of methods to turn waste into functional resources.

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In the Lake Victoria region of Kenya, fish is caught and transported to different parts of the country by the tonne. Fish is one of the area’s largest trading commodities and the source of income for many. However, the cleaning and packaging of fish create an enormous amount of waste that either ends up in landfill or goes back into the lake. Animal waste is a source of water pollution and environmental degradation as it introduces nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium into the water table. This has a negative impact on the environment and affects the health of both humans and animals.

Watch the full clip here: