CAIRO: A month after she closed her first business, a 10-year endeavor, Shereen Allam began preparing her next one. Although she had her start in the private business realm as a designer and manufacturer of children's clothing (she had to close due to the then-new unaccommodating tax laws and falling victim to theft), Allam decided to restart her career by venturing into a business still new to Egyptian society: recycling ink and toner cartridges. "At the time [six years ago], the IT market was picking up and everything was moving. So, I thought,'Why not study or see what I can do in that field?' Allam said. "I discovered that recycling cartridges was a new field in Cairo or Egypt. So I started studying it. Following a period of study, training and preparations, Eco Tek was established. "We thought it was going to be very easy, once you take the courses and everything, Allam said."It wasn't that easy because when you start producing the product, it is not as simple or as perfect as you think. So it took us about six months to get a product that we could sell in the market. The process starts with the collecting of used cartridges, either directly from users, companies or garbage collectors. Then each cartridge is cleaned, checked and faulty parts are replaced.After refilling it with ink or toner (depending on the type), an extensive session of testing precedes the release of the recycled product in the market.Allam noted that the purpose of these tests is to get as perfect a printout as possible. While she does want to make a profit out of her business, it also has an environmentally beneficial side. Unless they are recycled, these used cartridges are dumped in landfills and then burned. Allam noted that the plastic containers in the cartridges do not decompose and the byproducts of burning are toxic. Furthermore, the material inside the used cartridges is toxic as well. "You never finish the cartridge completely, so you have some toner inside and you have wastes, because in the process of using the cartridge you get like an exhaust, as in a car. In this [case] you get waste. The waste contains carbon and the toner contains carbon and both are toxic. So if they are spilled when you break a cartridge . if it is in large amounts, it can cause harm to the environment and definitely to people around it. It would seem that organizations and governmental offices concerned with environmental issues would be willing to jump on board to help this project, but that wasn't the case. According to Allam, when she went to meet government officials to seek help in raising awareness for the issue of recycling in general, she didn't find enthusiasm. In fact, she still can't find it. While she has planned collaboration with concerned local organizations, joint projects with other companies involved in similar or related environmental businesses remains a thorny issue."I think we still do have a problem in working in groups, Allam said, noting the importance of addressing this problem. But Eco Tek has its friends in the international arena. "Usually they [international counterparts] have all the studies. They have all the research. So usually we contact them if we have any problems. If they have anything new, they send us. If we need any technical support. they are usually very helpful, Allam explained. "They support you much faster although you are not one of them, but just being a recycler anywhere in the world, [you get help]. She recalled an incident when she was just starting her business. Some people claimed that recycling was not legal - the company recycles used cartridges originally produced by major manufacturers. As they can recycle the cartridges up to four or five times, the original producer loses out on a number of possible sales.When Allam contacted her international organizations concerning this problem,"They all sent us tons of material to show us that, no [they had] fought this war15 years ago and here are all the documentations that [we] can use. Concerns about illegality were quickly brushed away, but consumer concerns were tougher to overcome. Allam had to struggle to convince others that a recycled product doesn't necessarily mean a faulty one. Eventually, people realized that and became more aware of the benefits of recycling. Now Eco Tek has about 250- 300 clients ranging from major, medium-sized to small companies. Allam, however, hasn't gone through this long journey alone.She co-founded the company with her husband Ahmed Hegazy.After leaving his job in a trade company specialized in textile and leather dyes, he took over the production side of Eco Tek, while Allam is responsible for the marketing and sales department. Although many would assume that working with one's husband is the perfect situation for a career woman,Allam disagrees. She said it took awhile for her husband to adapt to her business persona."You can say there is no soft side about it.You have to make harsh decisions. You act in certain situations.He saw a side of me that he never saw before. Maybe this sort of threw him off balance a bit and then he adjusted. She also mentioned the additional worries that arise from sharing the same source of income during financial crises. But at the same time, working together has helped her in her work. In her first business, which she ran independently, many didn't accept her as a woman in an authoritative position. "Now it is easier, they do accept that you have authority, but they like the idea that there is somebody else in the company. For the time being, Allam is concerned with two projects: she is studying the possibility of recycling printers and working on establishing an association for businesswomen to support young beginning entrepreneurs. To contact Shereen Allam, email her at: [email protected]
