SUBS – Recycled Plastic Flip Flops
So, I thought it would be a good idea to tell you about SUBS. They are a New Zealand company which whose aim is to prevent and reduce plastic waste by transforming it into high performance, recycled plastic flip flops.
In developing Subs flip-flops, they not only wanted to use recycled materials in their packaging and products, but they wanted to make sure their products could be fully recycled at the end of their use, that could be fed back into the reprocessing system for reuse in new products completing the cycle of circular economy manufacturing.
These flip flops are super comfy to wear, very durable (I’ve had mine a couple of years and they are still going strong!), upcyclable and of course environmentally friendly.
SUBs are made of recycled plastic sourced partly from their beach cleans, post-consumer waste, plus commercial and industrial plastic waste recycling and they pledge to remove one kilo of marine debris from our ocean ecosystems for every pair sold.
The plastic that is recovered from the beach cleans that is recyclable is sent for sorting and further processing by third party companies and combined with commercial and industrial plastic waste from sources such as hospitals (vinyl gloves), construction (wire casing and pipes) which is all processed together to make SUBS formula pellets ready for injection moulding.
A little bit about SUBS features:
Soles – Subs ‘sole formula ensures that you get both durability and comfort. As soon as you start wearing your subs they quickly mold to your feet, which gives you long lasting comfort.
Straps – The flip flop straps are designed and positioned to be comfortable between your toes.
The plugs are strong and durable ensuring they won’t come out by mischance.
Lastly their performance is extremely good in wet conditions and off the beaten track. The design on the top and bottom of the soles allows you to get a good grip on any surface and carry on with your adventures.
Read MoreRecycled Bikinis
Our bikini’s that are designed by @moniquerotteveel are made from recycled plastic bottles but do you know the process? Well I thought you might be interested to learn more about it. So unlike polyester, recycled polyester uses PET which is the material used for clear plastic bottles and recycling it this way prevents it going to Landfill. These are the steps for the process:
- The PET bottles are sterilised, dried and crushed into small chips.
- The chips are then heated and passed through a spinner to make the strings of yarn.
- The yarn is then wound up in spools.
- The fibre then passes through a crimping machine to create a woollen texture.
- The yarn is then knitted into the polyester fabric
So, I am sure you would like to know how ethical this is, well this process requires 33 – 53% less energy than normal polyester. The main advantages to this process are using more recycled polyester reduces our dependence on petroleum as a raw material for normal polyester. Secondly using PET bottles for this process reduces the amount of plastic going in to landfill which means less soil contamination, air and water pollution.
After reading this I hope you understand why I love these bikini’s so much, not only are their designs gorgeous but they are a way to help our planet from an ethical viewpoint.
Read MorePlastic Free July
Welcome to July and the month to try to cut down on single use plastic! I have a few tips for trying to use less plastic, some may work for you. Some you already do but any little extra swop will help the plastic pollution situation. So, here are my tips:
1. Bring your own cup for takeaway coffee’s, I would totally recommend chilly’s as they keep your hot drinks hot!
2. When you buy your fruit & veg try to buy unwrapped or maybe take your own bags to put and weigh the product in!
3. Try to avoid prepacked bread and baked goods not an easy one I know 🤷♀️.
4. I’m sure a lot of you already do this but bring your own refillable bottle rather than buying plastic ones and last but not least.
5. Refuse plastic straws I always have my bamboo ones with me in case I need them.
Remember ♻️ Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. By doing this you can help minimise landfill waste. My flip flops in the picture are soon to be stocked in supsoul and although they aren’t plastic free, they are made from recycled plastic 😃.
Read MoreHello world
Did you know 8 million pieces of plastic pollution gets into the ocean daily now that is a pretty scary thought 😧. There are approximately 25 trillion macro and 51 trillion microplastics litter our oceans. 269,000 tons float on the surface this about the same as 1345 blue whales .
Only 1% of marine litter floats the rest just sinks to the seabed. It has been predicted that plastic in the sea will increase tenfold unless we do something about it !
A plastic bottle can last for 450 years in the marine environment and over time it breaks down into smaller pieces which will end up microscopic . That means that every piece of plastic that has ever been made is still with us in some form !
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a slowly swirling whirlpool of ocean currents that collects plastic debris. It is believed to be twice the size of France and if we don’t change our usage of plastic it will double in size within 10 years !
The big problem is the single use plastics , for example think about how long we use a plastic bag for and then think about the fact it will take 100-300 years to break .
This is one of the reasons I started supsoul as I wanted to find clothing and accessories that were made of recycled plastic .