This week is the 17th annual Recycle Week. While COVID-19 forced many of us to temporarily put our normal on hold, the environment cannot wait regardless of the pandemic. The recycle week theme this year is “Thanking the Nation: Together - We Recycle”. This month we are sharing some organisations that are using up-cycled materials in order to create and bring life to new and wonderful products.
Recover Brands is on a mission to create the most environmentally friendly and socially responsible products possible while working to educate and inspire those around us to live more sustainably. The yarn they use is sourced from recycled plastic and discarded industry scraps. Currently, 100% of their sales are going towards hurricane relief efforts in the Carolinas. They work with partners in North Carolina, Haiti, and Guatemala.
Owned and operated in Dongguan China with their home office in San Francisco, Rothy’s uses 3D knitting technology and handcrafted assembly to produce fashionable footwear for working women. They use thread sourced from plastic bottles to decrease marine waste. Having recycled more than 66 million bottles, they create shoes that are comfortable, durable, and washable. Their packaging includes biodegradable cardboard inserts and their ribbons are created from recycled materials.
Looptworks works to conserve water and air by icing up-cycled materials to create bags and accessories. They intercept industry excess materials that would otherwise end up in landfills in order to create sustainable and eco-friendly materials. When you buy a product made from discarded materials instead of new materials you are directly offsetting the water and energy needed to make the same product.
Having already recycled over 97 million milk jugs, Green Toys is an eco-friendly toy company that turns old milk jugs into 100% recycled new toys. Their production processes reduce greenhouse gases and energy. Their packaging is made from 100% recycled cardboard and they use soy ink which biodegrades four-times faster than petroleum-based inks.
We can always work to decrease our impact on the environment and protect our home. If we all implement small changes, together we can start something huge. We hope some of these companies have inspired you to see how you can reduce your impact and start investing in businesses that are making a difference.
Written by Lydia Andina