Economic Development Solutions (EDS) Holdings has announced the launch of 5Inc, a new sister company specialising in project implementation in the areas of Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) and corporate waste reengineering.

This comes after EDS, a company that offers a unique combination of economic development services designed to provide customised solutions to the Renewable Energy, Mining, Government and Corporate Sectors, established a need for waste management that can assist with job creation in communities with staggering unemployment rates.

5Inc will offer services to both EDS Holdings and other customers that include B-BBEE and environmental awareness training, as well as Small Micro Medium Enterprise (SMME) support and advisory services to beneficiaries of Enterprise Supplier Development (ESD) initiatives.

In addition, the business will have a strong focus on waste management, particularly the repurposing – or upcycling – of certain types of waste. As a result, 5inc will also offer waste repurpose training for socio economic development beneficiaries, carbon tax analysis and carbon offsets facilitation.

5Inc leverages the skills, knowledge and upwards of thirty years of experience in economic development of Janine Espin, Managing Director and Waldo Adams – Executive Director: Projects at EDS, who also sit on the board of 5Inc.

Says Yasmine Miemiec, Executive Director at 5Inc, “Corporate enterprises produce masses of waste on a daily basis. Most of this ends up in landfills, adding to the carbon problem we face on a global scale, polluting the environment and negatively impacting the lives of communities who live close to these landfills.

“However, much of the waste that these organisations produce can be re-used elsewhere. This generates new products and revenue streams, and most importantly, increases job opportunities within these communities.”

Upcycling greatly benefits both corporates and communities as it not only offers a green alternative to waste management, but also teaches people about the importance of creating a greener environment while helping to fuel the economy through income generation.

5Inc has already been involved in several key projects since its inception in March this year, including the likes of creating laptop bags from discarded vinyl banners, succulent planters using cut wine bottles, and coasters using old map books and wood off-cuts.

Miemiec adds, “We have also run a business development program for township-based SMMEs as well as B-BBEE and climate awareness training courses for corporate clients. Our target market is diverse, however, we all aim to achieve the same objectives, namely: eradication of needless waste, upliftment of disadvantaged and impoverished communities and the creation of much needed jobs through innovative thinking.”

5Inc’s company mission and vision are to actively participate in the upliftment of unemployed people through skills development and job creation, particularly those in rural communities, where is most instances  landfill sites don’t even exist and people end up living in squalor.

Moreover, EDS plays an important role in the continued work of 5Inc, both as a client and as a supportive business partner.