Turning waste into a business venture

To be climate smart we can Reuse, Reduce and Recycle, right? How about UPCYCLING too? That’s precisely the concept behind the Lilly Loompa business brand, upcycling materials from waste to create eco-friendly furniture and homeware that is unique and decorative for homes.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), together with their implementation partners, the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the South African National Biodiversity Institute travelled to Paarl, a small town just outside Cape Town to meet with Lizl Naude, the owner of Lilly Loompa. The visit formed part of the review of the five-year long Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) programme spearheaded by UNEP and funded by the Government of Flanders.

UNIC sat down with Lizl at her shop in Paarl, to gain a better understanding of the upcycling industry and how she and her husband have managed to turn it into a profitable business venture. The following are excerpts from the interview:

How did Lilly Loompa come into being? My family and I lost everything a few times and for a decade or so we were trying to get out of the financial troubles and mess. At one stage, I literally went on my hands and knees and prayed to God to give me a solution or an idea and that’s how I got the idea of waste. So, since 2014, I have been using waste as a means to generate income for my family as well as for my community.

Where did the name Lilly Loompa come from? Lilly was my nickname when I was a child and Loompa is part of a character from my favourite book as a child, Charlie and the chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, the Oompa Loompas. When I started my business, I knew I wanted a name that would be fun and creative and also carry longevity. So Lilly Loompa is part of me, my alter ego. My husband says she is our eldest child and was born in 2004 from the time that I was doing jewelry, before the up-cycling business. So Lilly Loompa transformed over the years into the up-cycling business that we have today.

What does Lilly Loompa produce? We mainly focus on creating homeware and it’s all made with waste and it is all upcycles. We collect our waste from different places within our area such as Paarl, Wellington and Stellenbosch and then we create usable, functional and beautiful home-ware. I would also add unique because many of the items that we design and produce are not very common and many of the products are unique to us as we have created them. We are very proud of our range and we have much more to add to the range, so WATCH THIS SPACE for new things!

What does it mean to up-cycle? Up-cycling means to take the actual material, manipulate it in such a way that it becomes something different that can be used again. In other words, you prolong the life of the actual use of the material instead of sending it to the recycling bin and the recycling plant where it gets broken down and could possibly become a bottle again if it is for instance a glass bottle. In our case, we would take the glass bottle and melt the glass bottle that will become something like a serving platter or a spoon rest.

With the little bit of manipulation, and some cutting maybe, we can create something else. With wood, we can take the wood and make into a shape and combined with a metal tin could actually become a light fixture. It’s about manipulation but also using your creativity and innovation to make something different that can be repurposed and reused.

How has UNEP and their supporting partners helped Lilly Loompa to succeed?                                                                                                                                      In 2020, I was fortunate to win an award called the South African Women Entrepreneurs in Climate Change (SAWECCA) and the UN Environment Programme was one of the sponsors of the award and that is how I connected with UNEP. I am very proud and very honoured for the support that they have shown me and continue to assist me as well as all the other sponsors as well. I know that where I am today is because of that kind of contribution from the sponsors to our business.

Lilly Loompa can be shopped online at www.lillyloompa.com