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Made, the ethical jewellery company, has joined up with UniquEco who are helping to clean up the North Kenyan coastline by using the discarded flip-flops that are washed up on the beaches to create quirky, colourful necklaces.
Thousands of flip-flops wash up on the East African coastline from as far afield as Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia. The indestructible rubber debris is disastrous for the marine eco-system -- it is mistakenly swallowed by marine feeders, prevents hatching turtles from returning to the sea and wrecks the natural beauty of the beach.
Julie Church was working on a marine conservation and development project in North Kenya when she saw the flip-flops being gathering by local 'beachcombers', who were using them to create toys, fishing buoys and cushion stuffing. Church recognised that their work addressed both the issue of a lack of sustainable employment in the area and that of beach pollution, so with Tahreni Bwanaali (who grew up in the area), she set up UniquEco, a 'socially-responsible entrepreneurship' that uses the flip-flop remnants to create jewellery, toys, sculptures and accessories amongst other things.
The business now covers 150km of Kenyan beach in its flip-flop gathering, and parts of Nairobi -- cleaning up the areas in its hunt for old flip-flops and debris. The business now employs 120 men and women ranging from unskilled beachcombers to bead-makers, talented artisans and sculptors, ensuring they earn a decent income.
The UniquEco products do include other materials, such as beads and glass in some necklaces, although the flip-flops make the main ingredient.You can find the colourful ‘Recycled Flip-Flop’ range, including the recycled necklaces (priced £25 each) on Made's website.
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