NDAO HANAVAO

In 2018, Rubis Mécénat set up Ndao Hanavao in Madagascar, an eco-humanitarian research and training laboratory focusing on social design. Its objective is, on the one hand, to respond to local societal and environmental issues via innovative, viable and sustainable design projects developed in collaboration with guest designers; and on the other hand, to make a lasting contribution to the professional integration of young Madagascans from disadvantaged backgrounds by supporting them in the development of commercial and collaborative initiatives based on projects developed in the laboratory.

Three projects are currently being developed within the laboratory: a project to collect and transform plastic waste into utilitarian objects with French designer Alexandre Echasseriau; a project to collect and transform invasive algae with French designer Samuel Tomatis; and a project to collect and transform plastic waste into wool with Franco-British designers from The Polyfloss Factory.