22 Jun Protecting Planet And People: WAYSTD & Faithful to Nature Team Up
Did you know that plastic is an energy-efficient material to manufacture? The packaging industry truly benefits from the cost effect product that also generates an impressive amount of jobs. When plastic is discarded irresponsibly, however, it becomes an incredibly expensive and harmful mess to clean up.
The synthetic polymer takes up to 140 years to decompose. During that time, it pollutes our water sources, causes irreparable damage to our ecosystem, and burdens landfills.
Faithful to Nature has made a pledge to get as many consumers to #SayNoToPlastic as possible, but we cannot do it alone.
Lee Barker, Director of WAYSTD, along with Hanno van Niekerk and Lynn Munitich, have been repurposing plastic to produce sustainable items that each one of us can use.
“Since 2015 we have been innovating, strategising, manufacturing and marketing our beautifully designed practical product lines – made 100% in South Africa from plastic waste,” Lee begins, “the COVID-19 lockdown required us to think fast and so we shifted our entire focus and resources to the manufacture of our WAYSTD PPE range.”
The local brand endeavours to bridge the chasm where so many single-use plastic products fall into and never return – creating a loop of sorts. Lee explains that by educating consumers on plastic usage and engaging the science community on creating solutions for responsible waste management, we can recycle and reuse plastic to its full potential.
This team of creative eco warriors have managed to find a way to make 60 mask filters from a single 2L plastic bottle, while three 2L bottles make 5 face masks. And they are churning out an impressive amount of mask filters and masks on a monthly basis. 20 000 WAYSTD masks are produced each month, which results in 12 000 2L plastic bottles being recycled. From 2021, you’ll also be able to purchase stationery from the growing brand, in year one they are planning on launching a stationery brand that manufactures 100 000 pens and 100 000 rulers utilising 200 000 2L plastic bottles; 1 for 1.
These guys don’t just talk the talk of intersectional sustainability. By hiring staff from vulnerable communities, they are walking the walk too. The easiest way to educate people is through hands-on intervention. Some of the 12 staff – made up of machinists, production and factory managers, and factory hands – return to their communities and inadvertently influence the people around them through their own change in behaviour.
If you’re not already considering purchasing a mask from these environmental champions, perhaps knowing that with every mask you purchase from WAYSTD Faithful to Nature will be donating one to a person or community who desperately needs it. As the WAYSTD team puts it, if you want to “look good + feel good + do good,” you’ll purchase a face mask right now.
What is more, during this time Faithful to Nature is also going to be donating to Sustainable Seas Trust through the sale of WAYSTD masks on their website. For every mask purchased FTN will be donating the full retail markup to SST.
For more information about WAYSTD, or to get in touch with team, go to www.waystd.com.
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