P L A S T I C - it's becoming a dirty word and not without good reason. It's near impossible to avoid. Everything's wrapped in it or made of it and we are struggling to deal with the end result. Our oceans and marine wildlife are being choked in the stuff and so are our favorite destinations (Aussies think Bali).
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