04:27Africa Collect Textiles (ACT) is recycling clothes and footwear waste and transforming them into new goods to promote sustainable fashion while reducing carbon emissions in both Nairobi and Lagos.
Footage captured in Nairobi on Thursday shows ACT employees sorting through donations, cutting old textiles, and sewing together brand new products including; shirts, toys, bags and carpets.
"We have set up collection bins in high-traffic areas like malls and universities where consumers like you and I can take our used clothes to have them disposed of ethically," explained Nathalie Naina, ACT communications manager.
Once the donations are collected, the clothes are separated between 'non-wearables' and 'wearables'. Wearable items are then used in a 'reseller programme' where they are sold at lower prices to be used more outside Nairobi.
"For the non-wearables, the clothes that are worn out, we repurpose them through our upcycling model. In our upcycling model, we basically blend African traditional skills like weaving, with modern upcycling," Naina added.
"We have a product line of upcycled clothes that is almost about 12 products, and these are accessible to everyone, both the local market and the international market. Our price point is an affordable one ranging from KES 1,000 (7.7 USD, 7.2 EUR) to KES 100,000 (770.9 USD, 718.9 EUR)," she continued.
Naina noted that the ACT's initiative offers a 'zero-waste' alternative to conventional textile disposal methods which produce 'more carbon emissions'. She also emphasised that the company creates 'more green jobs' for the local communities it serves.
Africa reportedly receives a significant amount of the world's discarded textiles. The absence of adequate waste management systems in many African nations often leads to the burning of these garments in landfills, which experts warn can have detrimental effects on the environment.
From ripped jeans to recycled dreams! Kenyan company gives new life to textile waste in Nairobi
Africa Collect Textiles (ACT) is recycling clothes and footwear waste and transforming them into new goods to promote sustainable fashion while reducing carbon emissions in both Nairobi and Lagos.
Footage captured in Nairobi on Thursday shows ACT employees sorting through donations, cutting old textiles, and sewing together brand new products including; shirts, toys, bags and carpets.
"We have set up collection bins in high-traffic areas like malls and universities where consumers like you and I can take our used clothes to have them disposed of ethically," explained Nathalie Naina, ACT communications manager.
Once the donations are collected, the clothes are separated between 'non-wearables' and 'wearables'. Wearable items are then used in a 'reseller programme' where they are sold at lower prices to be used more outside Nairobi.
"For the non-wearables, the clothes that are worn out, we repurpose them through our upcycling model. In our upcycling model, we basically blend African traditional skills like weaving, with modern upcycling," Naina added.
"We have a product line of upcycled clothes that is almost about 12 products, and these are accessible to everyone, both the local market and the international market. Our price point is an affordable one ranging from KES 1,000 (7.7 USD, 7.2 EUR) to KES 100,000 (770.9 USD, 718.9 EUR)," she continued.
Naina noted that the ACT's initiative offers a 'zero-waste' alternative to conventional textile disposal methods which produce 'more carbon emissions'. She also emphasised that the company creates 'more green jobs' for the local communities it serves.
Africa reportedly receives a significant amount of the world's discarded textiles. The absence of adequate waste management systems in many African nations often leads to the burning of these garments in landfills, which experts warn can have detrimental effects on the environment.
Africa Collect Textiles (ACT) is recycling clothes and footwear waste and transforming them into new goods to promote sustainable fashion while reducing carbon emissions in both Nairobi and Lagos.
Footage captured in Nairobi on Thursday shows ACT employees sorting through donations, cutting old textiles, and sewing together brand new products including; shirts, toys, bags and carpets.
"We have set up collection bins in high-traffic areas like malls and universities where consumers like you and I can take our used clothes to have them disposed of ethically," explained Nathalie Naina, ACT communications manager.
Once the donations are collected, the clothes are separated between 'non-wearables' and 'wearables'. Wearable items are then used in a 'reseller programme' where they are sold at lower prices to be used more outside Nairobi.
"For the non-wearables, the clothes that are worn out, we repurpose them through our upcycling model. In our upcycling model, we basically blend African traditional skills like weaving, with modern upcycling," Naina added.
"We have a product line of upcycled clothes that is almost about 12 products, and these are accessible to everyone, both the local market and the international market. Our price point is an affordable one ranging from KES 1,000 (7.7 USD, 7.2 EUR) to KES 100,000 (770.9 USD, 718.9 EUR)," she continued.
Naina noted that the ACT's initiative offers a 'zero-waste' alternative to conventional textile disposal methods which produce 'more carbon emissions'. She also emphasised that the company creates 'more green jobs' for the local communities it serves.
Africa reportedly receives a significant amount of the world's discarded textiles. The absence of adequate waste management systems in many African nations often leads to the burning of these garments in landfills, which experts warn can have detrimental effects on the environment.