Climate change has become a global epidemic and many companies are beginning to find new ways to become more environmentally friendly in their operations. However, Mobikya aims to play its part by creating recycled home furniture.

Mobikya was launched in 2016 by Ibrahim Abugendy and uses unwanted items, such as car tires, wood and discarded boxes, then transforms them into home furniture such as chairs, sofas, and mirrors. “At first, no one believed in the idea, but after conducting market research and gaining feedback we were able to improve our products based on the feedback.” Ibrahim explains to WAYA.

Initially Ibrahim studied architecture, however, he later decided to pursue his passion for design. After integrating his passion with his studies, he implemented his ideologies and became an environmental designer, where he began using items that could be a burden on the environment as home furniture.

With the continuous emergence of industrial factories in Egypt, and the growing waste they dispose of, Ibrahim wanted to start recycling the unwanted items. However, recycling the products required heavy machinery and was not cost effective, therefore Ibrahim discovered a gap in the market by creating environmentally friendly products from these items. “We look for the most useful items to recycle provided it does not hinder the environment, while not becoming a burden on the factories,” Ibrahim said.

Ibrahim believes that there is currently a global trend when it comes to recycling. Highlighting its importance and effect in every industry, as he believes that this may potentially be a method to tackle climate change. Furthermore, Ibrahim encourages the youth to begin recycling projects that requires minimal capital in order to play their part in helping the environment.

Like any company in the industry Mobikya faced many initial challenges. Their main obstacle was raising capital, as investors were looking to invest in tech companies rather than industrial ones. To this day, Mobikya still relies on self capital. “We attempted to participate in incubators, but they saw that one or two products were not enough to raise capital, therefore we depended on direct sales, whether it be individuals or cafes or even hotels,” Ibrahim explained.

Mobikya is planning to manufacture a new range of products and they intend to attract a larger number of clients by launching an application, as well as exporting their products to other countries.

“When we first started people were not interested in buying or investing in any products related to the environment. However, now there is a trend to change for the better, especially with the growth of environmentally friendly companies that can compete internationally.”

Ibrahim Abugendy, CEO, Mobikya