Manufactured by Salvage (Continental Clothing) from 60% pre consumer organic cotton offcuts and 40% post consumer recycled plastic bottles, there are four and a half, 1.5 litre bottles in each shirt.
These shirts are a light weave and incredibly soft to the touch. With a crew neck, rolled sleeves and curved hemline they look great too.
Check them out here.
We're looking to extend our range of recycled fabric products in the new year so stay tuned.
Merry Christmas and above all #staysafe
Beth
]]>As I said in the last blog we don't claim to be waste free. At the moment amongst other mediums, we use polyurethane heat transfer vinyl (PU) to produce our range of designs. At this point in time our output isn't on a large commercial scale so the minimal waste we do produce can be limited in different ways such as ganging artwork and stockpiling our off cuts to be used where possible (I have some special projects in mind for them). Everything that can be recycled is recycled.
I guess there's lots of ways to offset environmental impact and one I discovered recently is Plastic Bank. Plastic Bank fights ocean pollution and extreme poverty by turning plastic into currency for people living in poverty stricken communities. Residents can collect plastic rubbish to redeem for cash and other necessities and in doing so have access to a stable income stream. Plastic Bank then process and on sell this recycled "socialplastic" to the likes of Aldi and SC Johnson to use in their production lines.
You can read more about them and the incredible work they do here https://www.plasticbank.com
Another way is to look around and pick up the rubbish you might see in your green spaces, beaches and waterways. The photo on this blog was taken after a 3 km round trip walk around the suburbs.
A move to direct to garment (DTG) or water based screen printing are the obvious next steps for us. I've been dabbling in the screen printing process with mixed results.
It's an art form requiring a great deal of skill that I certainly need to work on and perfect before I unleash my efforts on the unsuspecting public.
#staysafe
Beth
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According to the dictionary, Ethics (noun) are the moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the conducting of an activity.
I'm not going to explore the philosophy of morality or anything that deep but I do have a question. Do you know if the people who made the clothes you're wearing were there of their own free will and earned a fair wage doing it?
When I set out on this ride I didn't have a clue about a lot of things involved in this process but I had one core value at the forefront of my mind. Our products shouldn't take advantage of, or exploit the vulnerable in the trip along the supply chain.
We chose the Stanley/Stella brand for our range of kid's t-shirts. They are 100% organic cotton, Fair Wear, GOTS and Confidence in Textiles certified.
You can read more about their certifications here:
https://api.stanleystella.com/page/certifications
AS Colour is the brand we use for our adult range. They carry out regular audits of their factories and are certified Child Labour Free.
Another interesting read is the Baptist World Aid Australia 2019 Ethical Fashion Report. The full report can be downloaded here:
https://baptistworldaid.org.au/resources/2019-ethical-fashion-guide
Don't think for a second I'm finger pointing. I'm also a consumer and love a good dose of retail therapy. Companies and brands also have the right to make a profit but I think we as consumers need to give a lot more thought to what the cost is to those employed (or possibly enslaved) to manufacture their products.
Yours in Peace
Beth
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The satisfaction you get from hand making jewellery has taken me completely by surprise. Something turning out how you pictured it in your head is the most amazing feeling.
The choice to use reclaimed or used beads fit with our ethos of ethical and sustainable practices. There are so many beautiful beads floating around our op shops and garage sales, you just need to look and if we can keep them out of land fill or from ending up in the ocean then all the better.
It might seem to some that this is a bit of a cheapskate way of doing things but it's far more labour intensive than just buying straight off the shelf new. First you have to find them, then reclaim them ie. remove them from whatever piece they're currently attached to and they're normally pretty dirty so then they need a good clean up. Then comes the sorting and storing...
That part gets a bit tedious.
Not all our beads are used though. Things like crimp beads and findings are hard to get in really good condition but I do reuse them when I can.
I try to work with natural fibers like hemp and cotton cords as much as possible but they do have their limitations especially when you're working with smaller beads. Of course they work great for braiding or macrame. My favorite thing at the moment is a simple 8 strand braid. It's a simple pattern which I love but it's very unforgiving if it's not just right. There's nowhere to hide.
While you're here head over the check out our collection and stay tuned for new designs coming soon.
Click here to view our Jewelry Collection
So many ideas so little time.
#staysafe
Beth
]]>I've been reading lately about the increasing use of soft plastics (the kind you can scrunch into a ball - think supermarket shopping bags and bread packets) in bitumen paving and road making amongst other things.
The road construction industry has been adding polymers to bitumen for many years, however soft plastic has the ability to be melted down and used as an additive with added advantage of providing a 65 per cent improvement in fatigue resistance for roads under stress from heavy traffic according to Roads & Infrastructure Australia.
They also quote figures from Sustainability Victoria, of 4 BILLION plastic bags being used by Australians every year with only 3% being recycled. On top of this according to the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority (NTEPA) we spend $200 million per year picking up plastic waste that has made its way into the environment.
RED Group is a Melbourne-based consulting and recycling organisation who has developed and implemented the REDcycle Program; a recovery initiative for post-consumer soft plastic.
Did you know that you can recycle the following items by dropping them off at a REDcycle collection point? These are located at most Coles and Woolies supermarkets across Australia.
Yeah it's a bit more work but surely worth the effort if it means these items can have a useful impact rather than ending up in landfill, or choking our waterways and ultimately our precious marine wildlife.
Beth
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