Innovation in recycling has come a long way in recent years meaning the use of recycled content in quality products does nothing to compromise performance and style – if anything, it serves only to enhance it. We all know we could be doing more to cut out single-use plastic and recycle what we use, so let’s join LifestyleGarden and welcome revolutionary recycled materials into your home and garden.
Wear it
Thankfully, both key brands and start-ups in the fashion industry are making greater strides towards sustainability in design and incorporating more eco-friendly fabrics, from recycled plastic bottles used to make activewear – a typically highly-polluting category of clothing – and trainers made from old chewing gum (we kid you not!), to recycled cotton t-shirts and regenerated nylon in swimwear. Fast fashion has had a massive impact on our planet, with stories of piles of our unwanted clothes washing up on beaches in Africa. That’s why it is so important that more sustainable alternatives are being incorporated into our clothing. Did you know that 10,000 tonnes of recycled nylon can save 70,000 barrels of crude oil and avoids 57,100 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions, compared with virgin nylon?
Make responsible choices if you’re buying new clothes and celebrate recycling innovation by shying away from virgin and non-sustainable materials. Support brands that are striving to make a difference, such as Cornish-based start-up Finisterre, which is working hard to develop an eco-friendly version of neoprene for wetsuits. The oil-based material can’t presently be recycled but Finisterre is on a mission to create a better alternative and is currently reprocessing old wetsuits into a new material for its products, as well as using a natural and renewable source of rubber.
Build with it
The construction industry has been under intense pressure to create more environmentally friendly and sustainable ways of building, meaning products and innovations available at a commercial level have filtered down and are now available for use on a smaller scale. There are a host of ways to use recycled materials for building and DIY projects at home, including reclaimed bricks, recycled timber, kitchen worktops or tiles made from recycled glass, and even building beams made from plastic waste; not to mention recycled and fully recyclable flooring. There’s even a company creating kitchen cabinets or wooden cladding for walls out of old cheese boards!
As energy bills soar, demand for effective insulation is in big demand. Insulation made from recycled materials should put a bigger smile on your face when you are feeling toasty at home. Fortunately an increasing number of eco options are now available, including insulation made from waste paper, recycled PET bottles, recycled glass and even sheep or alpacas wool.
Live with it
We’re always keen to update our homes and stay ahead of décor trends, so let recycled materials enhance your life and your living space; whether with chopping boards made from salvaged paper and plastic scraps, placemats and coasters manufactured from recycled EVA plastic (like flip flops), cushions made from re-purposed fabric, or pots made from recycled plastic to keep your houseplants looking stylish.
With LifestyleGarden® you can enjoy furniture ranges that both incorporate recycled material and can be recycled at the end of their life. It our mission to utilise and continue to develop pioneering recycled and recyclable materials for our products, which not only look beautiful, but deliver outstanding durability and have minimal impact on our planet.
One of our most exciting and game-changing collections is Nassau, which is available in either DuraOcean® – a unique material made from recycled marine waste – or Social Plastic – a ground-breaking material through which plastic pollution is prevented from entering the world’s waterways, whilst also benefitting impoverished communities.
Each DuraOcean® chair is made from 3.5kg of plastic waste, which includes maritime ropes and finishing nets, whilst Social Plastic, introduced via a partnership with Plastic Bank, sees plastic waste transformed into currency that local collectors can convert into bonuses to use for essentials, such as groceries and cooking fuel, as well as school tuition and health insurance.
We are striving towards a closed-loop economy, with zero waste, which is why every piece of furniture in the Nassau collection – whatever plastic option a customer chooses – can be fully dismantled and is 100% recyclable at the end of its life.
