Ameenah Begum

Ameenah Begum is a creative problem solver, artist, and designer based in South East England. She is the founder of Planet Friendly Paint, a social enterprise that upcycles waste makeup into zero-waste watercolour paints.

“I wanted to tackle the cosmetic waste problem in Europe and encourage people to make conscious decisions that positively impact the planet,” she says. “And we’re succeeding. Not only do we provide a unique product but we’re building the foundations for corporate and community cooperation.”

The goal over the coming years is to expand the business, diversify the supply chain and focus on business development strategies to make the upcycling service and one-of-a-kind products more accessible. This will allow the company to transform into a circular economy business, partnering with retailers to create sustainable supply chains and distribution streams.

With the Innovate UK award, Ameenah hopes to lead a successful team and reach her business goals through sharing best practices and tapping into the network’s expertise. Her focus areas for development include project management, HR, materials and manufacturing processes, as well as effective sales.

Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to focus on what makes sense to them and to have conviction in their own ideas. Something she always tries to stand by.