“Our ethos has always been one of reformation so it make sense that our company would find a way to turn waste into something wonderful. What once would have ended up in a landfill is now a stylish, one-of-a kind fashion item that allows for local skills development and job creation. We have a team of trained women who now earn a living from producing our bags,” says Kirsty Fonzari, who heads up marketing for Uzwelo and Expand A Sign.
To date, the group has re-directed over 86,000m of waste material that would have previously been sent to a landfill and together with its partners, has ensured that 30,000 underprivileged children now have schoolbags.
Bags with a purpose
Take your pick from Uzwelo’s extensive range. Some of the options include reusable shopper bags that support the ‘Say no to single use plastic’ campaign, schoolbags with built-in ponchos, and the new on trend rPET handbag and laptop sleeve collection using felt made from recycled plastic bottles (also known as rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate)).