This World Upcycling Day, Re.Bag.Re.Use has been reflecting on the initiative that began in 2021 and has grown into community initiative involving 21 women who have helped upcycle almost 200 000 bread bags, turning discarded materials into something functional.
"To help give context to the number of bread bags that have been upcycled, it’s equivalent to nearly ten baby elephants' worth of plastic that has been kept out of landfill and the environment. Every bread bag repurposed represents a second chance, an opportunity to create something functional, beautiful and long-lasting," says Regine le Roux, Founder of Re.Bag.Re.Use.
Over the past five years, these discarded materials have been transformed into bags, containers, mats, hats, home décor items and gifts. Everything is done by hand, from cutting the plastic and crocheting the products to sewing on the labels. Every stitch aims to represent creativity, patience and care, giving a humble bread bag a beautiful and functional second life, says the initiative.
Re.Bag.Re.Use says it's all about crocheting hope one stitch at a time.
The aim is to prove that plastic is not only kept out of the environment, but that every project creates opportunities for creativity, learning and earning. A percentage of every sale is donated to the Neighbourhood Old Age Home (NOAH) and the SPCA, concludes the initiative.
For more information, visit www.rebagreuse.com. You can also follow Re.Bag.Re.Use on Facebook, or on Instagram.
*Image courtesy of contributor