Four and a half recycled swaps for Recycle Week!
The 14th of October 2024 marks the start of Recycle Week! This global event, now in its 21st year, encourages us all to think about how products can be made in a way that is more sustainable and more circular.
The theme this year is "rescue me," a nod to the fact that a large percentage of junk in our landfills could have found a new lease of life as raw materials for another product. It’s a particularly important reminder for all manufacturers, especially the manufacturers of environmentally friendly toilet paper! So in the interests of circularity we've rounded up some of the ways recycling is growing across different products.
Ready to rescue and repurpose some waste? Let’s dig in.
1. Recycled yarn
Those of us of a woolly disposition will know about the headaches that can come with trying to craft sustainably. Acrylic yarn is basically plastic, bamboo yarn can come with all the environmental issues of producing bamboo textiles (unlike tissue and paper), and growing cotton is a huge drain on water.
But the crafting community is resourceful, and companies that make yarn are coming to market with a growing range of more sustainable fibres coming up. From cotton options made from recycled clothing, to ultra soft yarn made from nettles, there are more green options than ever. But what if we want something more classic?
New in 2024, the world-renowned wool makers at Dutch brand Scheepjes have launched a crafting yarn made from recycled wool that would otherwise end up in landfill, such as offcuts from textile production. Their skeins come in a range of beautiful shades perfect for autumn, saving valuable fibres from landfill and bringing them to your slow fashion projects instead!
2. Recycled denim
A good pair of jeans should be with you for years, up to ten years if you buy a pair that are a good fit in the first place and don’t over-wash them.
Sooner or later, though, even the most faithful pair of denims is going to give up the ghost. So its great to see big brands like Wranglers working with The Jeans Redesign, international guidelines that show how jeans can be constructed in a way that makes them more sustainable and recyclable.
After all, jeans tend to wear in the same areas (the seat, knees, and hem), leaving plenty of good quality denim that can be broken down and remade. And if you're using better, more sustainable fibres in the first place it's a win win!
3. Recycled unbleached toilet roll
Obviously we couldn’t let recycle week pass without a pitch for our low carbon, unbleached, recycled toilet paper. Recycled toilet rolls have been a staple on UK shelves for years, but we think ours are something extra special.
Traditional toilet paper is made from new, virgin paper that involves cutting down trees that have often been farmed for the purpose. Recycled toilet paper is a step up, repurposing old paper (particularly office printer paper) and giving it a second life as soft tissue.
Our recycled toilet rolls go even further. We worked with our fantastic B Corp factory in Spain to pioneer toilet rolls made from old packaging cardboard boxes and kraft paper. This means no trees are harmed in the making of your loo roll, unlike most recycled toilet rolls we don’t need to bleach it to change the colour. Our tissue comes in the same brown shades of the packaging materials we use, and are all the more eye-catching for it!
4. Recycled shoes
The old adage is true, you spend most of your time either in your shoes or in your bed, so it’s worth choosing them carefully! Of course we want our shoes to be comfortable, look nice, and last a long time, and why not make sure they’re planet-friendly too?
Enter recycled shoes. Companies like Allbirds and Cotswold are bringing waste PET plastic bottles into their raw materials, repurposing a huge category of rubbish that would otherwise end up in landfill, and making sturdy, stylish shoes to boot!
And while we’re talking recycling and shoes, extra points go to Vivo who will take back your old pair of shoes and refurbish them for a second lease of life, or recycle their materials if they’re too far gone.
4.5. LEGO 50% recycled bricks by 2026!
This last one isn’t a swap you can make right now, but we had to include it because it’s so fun. By 2026, LEGO has committed to producing half of its bricks using recycled materials – particularly PET plastic from drinks bottles.
For those of us who grew up with LEGO, and are now enjoying it with younger family members (or just making a set or two ourselves!), these little plastic bricks are a special source of joy. The fact that such an iconic toy company is publicly setting these kinds of targets is a sign of things moving in a positive direction, for this generation of builders and the ones that will follow.
Time to make some swaps?
There you have it – four and a half recycled swaps to celebrate Recycling Week! Whether you’re stocking up on toilet paper, knitting a cosy scarf, or strutting your stuff in eco-friendly shoes, thinking like this moves us towards a more circular future.
So next time you’re sorting the recycling at home, you can be encouraged that many manufacturers are doing the same; looking at what we can rescue from landfill and give a second life. It’s the least we can do! 🌍♻️
Want to celebrate recycling week with unbleached tissue products made with unbleached, recycled cardboard boxes (or bamboo)?