Rita Shah established Shabra Plastics & Packaging Ltd in 1984 with her business partner, the late Oliver Brady. They started Shabra as a trading company, later moving into LDPE reprocessing and manufacturing of refuse sacks and bags (Shabra Polymex). The company then expanded into Plastics Recycling, opening the only sorting, recycler, and reprocessor of PET bottles in Ireland (Shabra Recycling). In January 2025, Shabra launched their second hotwash line for reprocessing PET bottles, the only such facility on the island of Ireland. Rita Shah is a recognised successful entrepreneur in the plastics manufacturing and recycling sector.She is also highly regarded within the plastics bag manufacturing industry, with over 30 years of experience in the Irish, UK, and EU markets for the production of recycled bags and sacks. She has been recognised many times for her contribution to the plastics industry in Ireland and was awarded a Distinguished Fellowship Award from the Athlone Institute of Technology. More recently, Shabra was awarded the ‘Best Recycling Project’ at the Irish Climate Change Leadership Awards in 2024. Rita is a strong ambassador in promoting the Irish circular economy and sustainability.