Joshua Attat, the founder and managing director of Pneedles Company, a regular and customised buttons producing firm for fashion brands and garment manufacturers which he launched in 2024.

Attat, an award-winning circular economy entrepreneur is focused on creating sustainable solutions for the fashion industry through his Pneedles firm that makes buttons from plastic waste for the fashion industry.

“We make regular and customised buttons for fashion brands & garment manufacturers. We’re helping solve the plastic waste problem in Nigeria while providing sustainable materials for the fashion industry,” he said.

He was inspired to venture into the business with an initial capital of about N500,000 to N1 million was basically his passion for recycling, the circular economy and sustainable fashion which he champions.

“We started experimenting and talking to potential customers in 2023 and we used their feedback to refine our product; we launched into the market by March 2024.

“Initial capital was approximately N500,000 to N1 million and it was a mix of my personal funds and loans from friends

“What helped reduce the startup cost was we were able to rent most of the equipment we use from organisations that own them, that helped us focus funds on other aspects of the business & get started quickly,” Attat said.

Describing the progress he has made in the business, Attat said; “So far we’ve sold over 1,000 buttons to several fashion brands including Budding Blue, Lohije, Mak Africa, and Ria Kosher, among others.

“We’ve also had partnerships with Lagos Fashion Week for their Woven Threads and Green Access programmes. We’ve made some good progress and we’re poised to do more in the coming years.”

According to the serial entrepreneur, what makes Pneedles a unique brand is the fact it is the first plastic button manufacturing company in Nigeria and are making its buttons from plastic waste instead of virgin plastics, that way the company is helping the fashion industry green their supply chain while reducing plastic waste in Nigeria.

He foresees a massive global market for the business space though he thinks it is too early to speak of the Nigerian market.

With 10 part-time employees, Attat said the company is more focused on increasing its button production capacity first to meet local demand before it can start thinking of international markets.

“We’ll also add new product lines by next year for instance, sustainable beads and jewelry pieces from plastic waste,” he said.

To survive the murky waters of the business space in Nigeria, he said the company has adopted apt, quick and ready strategy.

“Honestly it’s hard; but currently what we’re doing anything we need to do, we try to buy things as quickly as possible; knowing very well that in three-week-time the price of that same item can increase by at least 20 percent,” he noted.

Attat disclosed that lack of competent hands is one of the major challenges facing the business at the home front, besides raising funds to scale production.

“Finding competent hands to fabricate equipment locally. Importation is costly and it’s not sustainable, especially for a startup because the price of an equipment you want to import can be your entire startup budget.

“You have people tell you they can do things and when you commit money into their hands, stories abound,” he said.

In navigating his ways around the prevailing challenges, he said that he had to lean on certain networks to find quality technical talent and that it has really helped him.

“For funding I’ve applied for grants and we’ve made some progress,” he said.

He encourages upcoming entrepreneurs to know that money is value, if one wants money he should create value for people.

“People are everything – treat them well; learn to build and maintain solid relationships. Think and play for the long term not the short term.

“Try to embed circularity/sustainability into your business. Climate change is real and it’s affecting everyone irrespective of societal status so we all have a part to play in reversing climate change,” he said.