Eric Casinga is the Founder and Managing Director of RecoPlast Congo SARL.Having started as a children's rights activist in his native Kivu region in war torn Eastern DRC, Eric embarked on a perilous journey, running away from atrocities in Congo. Eric literally walked to South Africa where he settled as a refugee. While in South Africa, Eric had a chance to attend a technical college where he studied blasting engineering and occupational health and safety management. After working for big mining corporations, Eric was selected to the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship Programme initiated by Former US President Barack Obama. Through his fellowship he attended the Virginia Commonwealth University Business school in Richmond, Virginia, USA. With his love for his home country of DR Congo, Eric uses his ambition to have initiated various projects towards the conservation and protection of the environment. Upon returning back to Congo, Eric focused all of his energy in drafting the country's first occupational health and safety regulations and establishing TwinStar Academy, an occupational health and safety training development firm. He offers training to government entities and private businesses alike. He went on to establish the DRC’s first plastic waste upcycling facility known as RecoPlast Congo. Innovation and creativity are what leads Eric’s whole professional career. As a born leader, it has made it possible for him to overcome most of the toughest challenges along the way. In 2021 Eric traveled back to the USA to train in blockchain technology through the Government Blockchain Association, and is developing blockchain-based and cryptocurrency solutions that can be introduced into the mining supply chain, as a way to not only trace mineral sourcing, but also to address the issue of child labor within artisanal mines. The same solution is applicable to plastic waste collection.