subject: Lateral thinking leads to successful recycling businesses [print this page] We live in a green ageWe live in a green age. Recycling is positively encouraged and many new businesses have come up with innovative ways of reusing materials to deliver an entirely new product. Whether recycling packaging, garden materials or domestic waste there is someone somewhere who can make something useful from what others would throw away. The recycling ethic is being adopted by more and more people in the UK as they become intolerant of needless waste, but in some less well-off countries recycling was borne out of necessity. For example in Ethiopia they have been converting discarded lorry tyres into durable footwear for decades. This method of recycling has not only proved incredibly popular for locals but has now been taken one step further and become the foundation of an incredibly successful exporting company by one enterprising Ethiopian woman. Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu has added only one new ingredient to the rubber soled re-treads to make them more attractive; uppers made out of cotton or leather. By utilising the power of the internet the young entrepreneur has developed a highly successful export business, shipping her product to as far away places as Canada and Australia. In the space of five years Beths business soleRebels has grown to the size where it employs 45 people produces 500 pairs of shoes per day; not only recycling used tyres but generating significant income for the business and Ethiopia. However, its not just footwear that can be made from recycled materials. In the USA department store giant Sears is offering suits made from recycled plastic. It takes an estimated 25 two-litre bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate to produce enough material to make a recycled suit. The bottles are reconstituted as polyester fibre which is woven with wool and a little spandex to make trousers and jackets. Such affordable and hard-wearing suits currently cost around the equivalent of 180 but are fully machine washable and dryable. Although not made from recycled materials it is now possible to buy green underwear to go with a recycled suit and footwear to make up a totally eco-friendly outfit. The green underwear is made from organic hemp with around 3% Lycra to give the necessary stretch required for pants. Socks can be made from bamboo; a sustainable crop that requires no pesticides for successful growth. As recycling technology improves and as more entrepreneurs realise the growing demand for eco-clothing, in the very near future we will all have more choice when it comes to recycled clobber!
Lateral thinking leads to successful recycling businesses
By: Paul Buchanan
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