British organization Bottletop is creating recycled handbags for charity.
The brand’s founders, Cameron Saul and Oliver Wayman, turn soda pop ringpulls into edgy eco-friendly purses. The bags are crafted in Salvador, Brazil, helping to generate income for the poverty-stricken South American area. The region’s homeless collect ringpulls for the label as a way of making some cash.
“It’s nice that they know they can get a bit of money from bringing them to the centre,” said Mr. Saul, who pays £3 per kilogram of metal.
Each bag uses about 1000 ringpulls, ensuring the metal tabs don’t end up in landfill. They are crafted by a Brazilian women’s collective, saving the employees from becoming maids or worse, prostitutes. Money generated from the sale of the bags, which retails between £30 and £70 in British outlets, helps to fund sexual health awareness programs in Third World nations.
The handbags have become a hit with socially-conscious celebs including Peaches Geldof, Annie Lennox, and Natalie Imbruglia. They are available online, or through Fenchurch’s in London’s West End or the Eden Project in Cornwall.
