Carrol Boyes has partnered with The Joinery
Carrol Boyes and The Joinery - A collaborative community collection
29/09/2018
With waste in the oceans and landfills reaching epic proportions, there’s never been a more crucial time to find alternatives to single-use plastic and explore the potential of proactive change through design.
Carrol Boyes has recognised the importance of sustainable initiatives in mitigating damage to the environment and has partnered with The Joinery to create a range of unique tote bags and pouches. The Joinery’s focus is on finding solutions to environmental and community issues through design. “We create local, sustainable products made from recycled plastic bottles, hemp and responsible fabrics as a way to positively contribute.”
As one of the worst managers of plastic waste in the world – South Africa comes in at 11 – it’s up to industry leaders to pose better solutions and forge a way ahead. It’s not all bad news however, and while the country is far behind others in terms of its recycling initiatives, it is showing gradual improvement. According to Plastics SA, last year 1.144 million tons of recyclable plastic entered the waste stream, of which 41.8% was recycled in South Africa based on input tonnages. This is a year-on-year increase of 5.9%. During this period, a growing number of organisations and consumer groups have become actively involved, resulting in a positive impact on the amount of plastics that were collected and recycled.
This increased awareness and growing proactive spirit among businesses and private citizens extends into the luxury sector too, where the emphasis has always been on longevity - pieces that are kept and treasured rather than relegated to trash after a short lifespan. Carrol Boyes is known for its artisanal products, high end and more recently food and wine, and this latest project sees the company collaborating with local business The Joinery to create a range of felt tote bags and pouches.
All the products are made by local artisans and sewing co-operatives based in and around informal settlements in Cape Town – and as such its initiatives contribute directly to job creation and furthering innovation in the textile economy, turning potential waste into something positive. This recent partnership with Carrol Boyes has resulted in a beautiful and collectable range of bags. Each handmade tote and pouch is made from recycled plastic bottles otherwise destined for the landfill. A total of 7,000 bottles was used for the creation of 1,000 totes and 1,000 pouch bags for the Carrol Boyes and The Joinery collaboration. The decorative multipurpose tote is perfect for everyday use – for daily grocery shopping, on-board plane travel, to transport or for beach days. The pouch is ideal for small makeup or stationery items, or to keep chargers safe.
Initiatives such as these, where sustainability and community involvement can be combined, underpinned by a spirit of collaboration, emphasize the pioneering and big picture the Carrol Boyes ethos represents.
Bags and pouches are available from Carrol Boyes stores and online at www.carrolboyes.com.
