SUSTAINABLE
MATERIALS

OUR MATERIALS

Did you know that every year we dump a massive 2.12 billion tonnes of waste? If all of this waste was put on trucks they would go around the world 24 times. This is because 99% of the things we buy are thrown away within 6 months.

Through creativity and innovation, we give incredible materials a second chance whilst having fraction of the carbon emissions. Bags made from tannery off-cut leather, discarded clothes, single-use plastic bottles… and even apple skins. Read more about their stories below.

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RECYCLED LEATHER

THE ANNUAL GLOBAL EMISSIONS FROM LEATHER PRODUCTION ARE EQUAL TO THAT OF 30 MILLION CARS

70 PERCENT OF RAINFOREST HAS BEEN CLEARED TO MAKE WAY FOR GROWING FEED CROPS FOR
THE LEATHER INDUSTRY

THE PROCESS

Virgin leather has an extremely negative environmental impact. This is linked to deforestation, excessive water usage, waterway pollution and huge CO2 emissions that are inextricably linked to global warming. Our recycled leather is produced from tannery offcuts and trimmings which are diverted from landfill and re-formed using no adhesives, only high pressure water jets. Here at GEWALA we use recycled leather as part of our continued journey to divert waste from landfill.

RECYLED NYLON

MORE THAN 90% OF THE RUBBISH IN THE SEA IS PLASTIC WITH THE MAIN CULPRITS BEING NYLON FISHING NETS

APPROXIMATELY 400,000 TONNES OF CARPETS DISCARDED IN THE UK ALONE ANNUALLY

THE PROCESS

Our supply chain rescue nylon nets from the sea and carpets from going to waste. They sort, clean and purify nylon. A polymer is then added to this material and it is woven into textiles. This regenerated nylon is used at GEWALA to help support marine life and clean up our oceans.

1.USED PLASTIC BOTTLES ARE COLLECTED

2.BOTTLES ARE SEPARATED,
CLEANED & DRIED

3.BROKEN INTO SMALL FLAKES
& REFORMED INTO PELLETE

4.MELTED & FORMED
INTO YARNS

5.SPUN INTO NYLON

RECYCLED COTTON

13 MILLION TONNES
OF TEXTILE WASTE IS PRODUCED EACH YEAR

IT TAKES 10,000-20,000 LITRES OF WATER TO PRODUCE 1KG OF
VIRGIN COTTON

Cotton is the world’s largest non-food crop. It demands large amounts of water, is heavily reliant on pesticides and can often be thought to have questionable practices in terms of labour. To make our recycled cotton, discarded clothes are sorted by colour and mechanically shredded. These are then spun into yarns and re-woven. We use recycled cotton as a lining across our entire range at GEWALA to give discarded clothes another chance!

THE PROCESS

VEGAN PINEAPPLE LEATHER

PINEAPPLE FARMING PRODUCES 13 TONNES OF PINEAPPLE LEAF WASTE EACH YEAR GLOBALLY

BY USING DISCARDED PINEAPPLE LEAVES AS A BASE MATERIAL FOR PIÑATEX, 264 TONNES OF CO2 IS SAVED FROM ENTERING THE ATMOSPHERE

THE PROCESS

Our supply chain collect pineapple leaves, an agricultural waste product of the pineapple harvest. Fibres are then extracted, cleaned and purified. This is then mixed with a corn-based polylactic acid and goes through a mechanical process to create a non-woven mesh, the base for a PETA-certified, vegan leather alternative.

RECYCLED POLYESTER

500 BILLION PLASTIC BOTTLES ARE USED EACH YEAR

FOR EVERY TONNE OF PLASTIC RECYCLED, 7.4 CUBIC YARDS OF LANDFILL SPACE IS SAVED

THE PROCESS

Our supply chain created eco-friendly zips from single use plastic bottles. Post-consumer PET goes through the steps of chemical recycling (granulation, purification, and polymerisation) to create a recycled polyester yarn. We use these zips with recycled polyester tape across all our products.

VEGAN APPLE SKIN LEATHER

25 PERCENT OF THE BYPRODUCT FROM APPLE PRODUCTION ARE DISCARDED

AN ESTIMATED 3.7 TRILLION APPLES ARE THROWN AWAY EACH YEAR FOR IMPERFECTIONS

THE PROCESS

Apple skin leather, born as a solution to apple juice production waste, is an innovative vegan 'leather'. It is formed from the unwanted peel and core of apples which are dried and ground into a powder. The power is then mixed with a binder and pigment to be spread onto a canvas until it turns into a leather-like material.

RECYCLED PACKAGING

PAPER AND CARDBOARD MAKE UP 17% OF THE GLOBAL WASTE GENERATED

12% OF THE GLOBAL WASTE COMPOSITION IS PLASTIC WASTE, WHICH INCLUDES PLASTIC PACKAGING.

THE PROCESS

Different materials have a significant impact on the true sustainability of a package. That is why businesses are called to review their previous packaging choices and find ways to reduce waste. Traditional materials can be made more sustainable by utilizing recycling. Utilizing fully recycled items or packages made of partially recycled material are popular ways that many entrepreneurs are approaching an ecologically cleaner operation.