Vaude’s upcycling workshop is about more than reducing waste
23/02/2018
Lisa Fiedler, part of Vaude’s corporate development division, explains: “Unfortunately, we cannot completely avoid accruing waste material and until now we often have had to dispose of it, although it was actually much too good to waste. This is truly wasteful and something we have set out to change.”
At its new workshop, Vaude uses stamping residues and excess materials from production to create new products. After being collected and sorted, these waste materials are hand-crafted into shopping bags, which are available in two sizes and a variety of colour combinations.
“As a result of this project, we are currently producing around 900 kilogrammes less residual waste per year, and are instead producing a number of great upcycling bags,” Ms Fiedler adds.
But, there is also a social element to this initiative. Since January, Noura Batrdouk, who fled from the ongoing conflict in Syria in 2015, has been working at the workshop. In her home country, Ms Batrdouk was an arts and crafts teacher, before she was forced to leave in search of a safer life. Vaude describes her involvement in this project as “a wonderful opportunity for her to gain a foothold in working life”.
Another resettled refugee from Syria, Mahmoud Algasser, has also now been recruited. He is a trained tailor and is adding his expertise and skills to this growing project.
The idea began in 2016, when Vaude offered sewing workshops to refugees in Germany in order to give them an insight into everyday working life. They produced shopping bags from excess material, which were sold to raise money for the Tettnang Asylum Network, which supports refugees in the area. The success of this project inspired Vaude to being work on the establishment of a long-term upcycling workshop for refugees.
Financial assistance from the German Federal Foundation for the Environment (DBU) allowed this idea to become a reality, and Ms Batrdouk was hired on a permanent basis. As well as covering the initial costs of setting up the upcycling workshop, the funding will also be used to create an upcycling community that Vaude would like to set up with partner companies.
The bags crafted by Ms Batrdouk and Mr Algasser, come in small and large sizes. They will be available in Vaude stores and factory outlets from mid-March.
Image shows Ms Bartdouk and Mr Algasser with some of their creations (credit: Vaude).
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