Othalo transforms one of humanity’s greatest environmental burdens — plastic waste — into one of its greatest human needs — safe housing. Using a patented upcycling process, Othalo converts locally collected plastic waste into durable, affordable building components that become homes, schools, and community structures.

But Othalo’s mission extends far beyond construction. Every home built restores dignity, opportunity, and safety to families who have lived too long without it. Each production facility becomes a local engine of hope — employing people, empowering communities, and turning sustainability from a concept into a way of life.

For Othalo, innovation is not about technology alone. It’s about creating a circular, inclusive system where waste becomes value, and people become the drivers of change in their own communities.

Othalo’s objectives are rooted in one simple belief: everyone deserves a home — and the planet deserves a second chance.

Currently 1.8 billion people live without adequate housing, and this number is expected to rise to 3 billion within the next 25 years.  Without a home, there is no safety, no stability and no room to create.

Othalo's mission is to:

• Eliminate plastic waste by transforming it into long-lasting materials that serve a social purpose.

• Provide dignified housing to millions who currently live without adequate shelter.

• Create meaningful employment at every step — from waste collection to home construction.

• Build local resilience through training, skills transfer, and community ownership.

The ultimate goal is not to build houses for people, but to build safe communities with them — enabling regions to stand on their own feet. In every country where Othalo operates, it plants the seeds of circular economies that regenerate both the environment and human potential.

Othalo has already turned vision into action. Its patented technology has been tested and proven in collaboration with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and regional partners across Africa and the Middle East.

Each Othalo home diverts up to 8 tons of plastic waste from landfills and oceans, while creating jobs and stability for the people building them. Communities that once saw waste as pollution now see it as opportunity.

Characteristics of an Athalo home

• Made out of 100% recycled plastic waste  - that can be recycled again.
• Designed to be 100% off grid
• Modular, prefabricated system for optimal transportation
• Can be assembled in 6 hours + 2 for electricity
• Lightweight, yet 7 times stronger than concrete
• Earthquake resilient
• High performance insulation for stable indoor temperatures
• Solar ready
• Fire retardant
• Designed to last 50 yrs

In addition to homes, Athalo also builds cold storage units, medical supply units as well as first responder facilities.

The company has received international recognition from UNHabitat, the World Economic Forum, EcoWatch among others, for tackling two crises at once — the plastic epidemic and the housing shortage — in a way that strengthens communities rather than exploiting them. The impact is visible: cleaner cities, safer families, and a renewed sense of possibility where despair once stood.

Athalo is poised to start building the first 1000 homes early 2026 in Brazil, as well as in Kenya and Colmbia.

Partnerships

Othalo collaborates with governments, NGOs, impact investors, and private partners through a license-based model designed to maximize local benefit.

• Technology transfer: Othalo licenses its patented system to partners committed to social and environmental regeneration.

• Local manufacturing: Together, they establish local production facilities using regional waste streams.

• Capacity building: Othalo provides training, engineering guidance, and continuous technical support to ensure quality and knowledge retention.

• Community empowerment: Local teams manage operations, employ residents, and reinvest profits within their communities.

• Shared success: Othalo earns a modest licensing fee while the majority of financial and social benefits stay local.

This is partnership with purpose — a model that transforms waste into homes, unemployment into opportunity, and dependency into resilience.