Cycle of Good
RECYCLING PROGRAMME TURNS PVC INTO HANDCRAFTED GOODS
Almost six tons of recycled PVC offcuts destined for landfill have been turned into handcrafted quality goods as part of a recycling scheme to raise money in one of the world’s poorest communities.
The offcuts are left over from the production of lorry curtains and were donated to the Krizevac Project’s Cycle of Good scheme. The recycling scheme is the latest initiative by the charity and employs 20 tailors full time in Chilomoni, Malawi, allowing them to earn a good wage and support their families without any charitable donations or handouts.
The tailors have already created credit card holders, document wallets, and bike basket covers out of the material and there are future plans to produce other goods such as pencil cases, make-up bags and football boot bags.
The Krizevac Project works with social enterprises employing 650 people who have trained and worked to create businesses that fund a vital children’s centre which provides early years care and family support to around 6000 vulnerable children at any one time.
Zoe Kasiya, Operations Manager at Cycle of Good, commented: “Charities rely on the goodwill of others and we are very grateful to Structure-flex for the PVC offcuts. Many of the enterprises are reusing unwanted or waste products from the UK, like bike inner tubes, books, and bikes, and without these donations would not be able to generate an income.
“All of the money raised is re-invested into our childcare centre and non-profit social enterprises and some of the offcuts have also been used directly by the centre to create beautiful bright floor mats as well as being used by the children to cut and stick brightly coloured shapes.”
Talking about the project, Structure-flex’s Managing Director, Paul Reeve, said: “We take an ethically responsible approach to our manufacturing process and are always looking for ways to minimise the environmental impact of our business.
“Although our manufacturing process ensures that there is very little waste material, we were very excited to team up with the Cycle of Good project at the beginning of the year to find an environmentally friendly destination for the offcuts.
“It has been wonderful seeing the beautiful products that the tailors have created and are very proud to know that the offcuts are changing the lives of people in Malawi for the better.”
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