One of the biggest issues we face in today’s world is spiralling pollution and the mismanagement of waste, both of which severely jeopardise the environment, on land, sea or air
Concern about the health of the planet mounts every day. Awareness is a shared responsibility, between industry and consumer. There are, thankfully, some approaches to help limit our impact on the environment.
Several countries have already joined the cause and have come up with a number of inspirational solutions, such as sneakers made from the chewing gum scraped off the pavements of Holland—1kg of reclaimed gum equates to 4 pairs of sneakers. Can you guess the colour of the shoes? Pink, just like the chewing gum!
Adidas already has its very own sports line made from plastics retrieved from the oceans—the apparel is produced from plastic bottles, bags, fishing nets, etc.
In Mexico, there’s a similar business venture is committed to repurposing materials from the seas: the soles of the shoes are produced from 100 grams of seaweed and rest from five recycled plastic bottles. In addition, the company pledges 10% of all profits to beach restoration along the Quintana Roo coast (where Cancun is the main tourist hub), whilst also donating a pair of tennis shoes to low-income children for each pair sold.
A year ago, the reGAIN app was launched in the UK, which allows users to turn unwanted clothes into discounts at partner stores: the idea is to stop unwanted garments ending up in landfills by encouraging and rewarding the act of donation.
Another solution, of course, is to repurpose the clothes we already have at home. According to the Brazilian designer Ana Paula Parreira, “most of the time a pair of scissors, a needle, and some thread are all you need. You can layer garments or embroider over rips and holes. It’s possible to turn a T-shirt into a cushion cover or transform old jeans into a handy shopping bag by simply adding a few basic things like handles and a zipper.”
Being eco-friendly is fashionable. Are you? How can you do your bit?
