The bane of plastic bottles is well-documented and for many years, big brands have upcycled these bottles-- that would otherwise go to landfills or oceans-- into thoughtful products that carry one message-- stop using single use plastics.
Adidas has worked with Parley for the Oceans, and the shoe brand has made, for example, a seamless knit upper from yarn spun from plastic reclaimed from beaches and coastal communities for its Ultraboost DNA Parley.
In September, Longchamp released My Pliage Signature, the fully customisable bag in full recycled polyester, using plastic products and recycled plastic bottles.
Tonight, local shawl brand Tudungpeople will launch its Limited Edition Ocean Collection, featuring 10 printed shawls made of 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles, with each piece saving eight bottles from ending up in landfills or oceans.
Tagged "from trash to tudung", founder Fazrena Aziz says this is the brand's baby step in its initiative to move towards more sustainable and eco-friendly products.
MESSAGE BEHIND THE TUDUNG
The collection, the first of its kind in Malaysia, was inspired by Fazrena's trip to Redang island, where she saw both the beauty of Malaysia's natural wonders and the devastating effects of pollution.
"The experience spurred me to take action and think about what we could do to be more environmentally conscious," she says.
Fazrena says the brand had been working on this collection since last year. "I had this idea of creating a collection made from recycled PET bottles. By transforming waste into a new resource, we can reduce the production of virgin raw materials and the consumption of water and energy," she says.
"One of the main challenges was to ensure that the material is truly made ecologically and with certifications. We managed to source from a factory that is certified Global Recycled Standard from Control Union Certification in the Netherlands through Kloth Cares,"
Production was halted at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in March. The collection was supposed to launch much earlier, she says.
"We also faced a challenge to reduce packaging, so we do away with plastic and keep the shawl in a can made of recycled paper. We're taking a slow but steady approach to become more sustainable and thoughtful in our products and packaging,"
NORMALISING A GOOD HABIT
Fazrena says the 'out of sight, out of mind' mentality contributes to plastic pollution. "People think once the bottle is thrown away, the waste that we made is no longer our problem, which is not the case,"
"One of the common places where we see plastic waste is in the ocean, which is the inspiration behind our Limited Edition design. The whole idea-- from design to material and packaging-- is to remind consumers that we are responsible for everything we do," she says.
Fazrena wants this project to be the start of bigger things. "We plan to integrate more sustainable and eco-friendly materials in our brand and hope more brands will follow suit,"
"It's not just consumers. Brands should use less plastic too. We hope that all of us can do our part is making recycling and sustainability part of our practices.
SUSTAINABLE FABRIC
The collection uses sustainable fabric sourced through its collaboration with Kloth Cares. The result is a fabric made of 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles that is beautifully smooth and soft.
"You can get high-quality materials with on-point styling, drape, and flow from something as unlikely as a plastic drinking bottle, and we want to show that," she says.
The design features abstract representations of marine elements such as corals, anemone, barnacles, bubbles, seaweed, and waves.
Part of the campaign focuses on how the packaging-- a can made of recycled paper-- can be reused. Made from high quality materials designed to be durable and aesthetically pleasing, it can be used as pretty containers once the shawl is unpacked.
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