Here at The Optimist Daily, we love designers that integrate sustainability deep into the fabric of their products. Solo New York is the type of brand that does exactly that, quite literally.
A leading, city-inspired designer of backpacks, the company recently announced the launch of its exciting new Re:cycled Collection of bags made from recycled plastic bottles, the first run of which upcycled over 90,000 bottles.
The environmentally friendly manufacturing process starts with discarded plastic bottles otherwise destined for the landfill and transforms them into a high-quality and lightweight recycled PET polyester yarn.
The process uses 50 percent less energy and 20 percent less water and creates 60 percent less air pollution than traditional fiber manufacturing, according to Solo New York. The main bodies of the Re:cycled Collection bags are made up of the re-spun plastic yarn; the tags, strings, and stuffing are made entirely from other biodegradable and recycled materials.
Sustainability is nothing new to the brand – its headquarters are powered by 100 percent renewable energy, it has a strict policy on limiting the use of disposable plastics on its premises, and its catalogs are printed on paper with 30 percent post-consumer fiber.
What’s more, in a bid to take its green efforts even further, the company has recently partnered with the National Forest Foundation to help restore US forests. With every bag sold from the Re:cycled Collection, the brand is planting a tree to help regrow US National forests.
