THE PRICE OF PLASTIC IN AFRICA: A) Environmental destruction + B) Health damage + C) Loss of traditional knowledge

Afrique XXI’s weekly newsletter from August 28, 2026, highlights the fact that, over the past 60 years, plastic has not only caused major and growing environmental and health problems in Africa; its use also means that, in just one or two generations, the continent is losing the material knowledge—built up over centuries—that gave rise to its traditional crafts.
The author (based in Benin) cites the example of plastic replacing natural materials (such as leaves, gourds, and clay) for transporting and storing food.
He concludes the article: “…what we call the plastic crisis in Africa is primarily a crisis concerning what we allowed to be lost without actually deciding to do so, and without realizing at the time just how much was being lost. We lost our objects, our customs, our health, and part of what made us societies capable of creating—with our own hands and from our own soil—everything we needed.”

What is needed to preserve Africa’s amazing traditional knowledge of transforming natural materials into functional craft objects? La Maison Afrique FAIR TRADE’s answer is: Consumer demand. If consumers give African craftsmanship a fair assessment, they will choose these products—which are remarkable in so many ways. This will, in turn, enable the craftsmanship to endure—to the benefit of people and the environment in Africa as well as globally.

La Maison Afrique FAIR TRADE product range consists entirely of genuine African handicrafts made from local natural materials (or, to a small extent, locally collected waste that has been recycled). La Maison Afrique FAIR TRADE raison d'être is summarized in the logo: Arts & Crafts from Madagascar with respect for environment, people and traditions.
Dear consumer, support the artisans in Madagascar by buying their goods in the shops and church communities that make up La Maison Afrique FAIR TRADE retailers.