EMEKA Pufferbags

Long description

Do you know what happens to your old and donated clothes? It is a common misconception that donated clothes are freely distributed in developing countries. They get sold to African distributors, who again sell them to local salesmen. The cheap second hand clothes then flood the African markets and prevent the countries to develop their own textile industries, which leads to local tailors losing their work; a one-sided dependency on the west and a post-colonial power dynamic. Only half of the clothes are in a sellable state, the rest gets dumped without proper waste management, clogging local rivers and polluting the water.

But a solution could come from creative innovation and sustainable business models that use upcycling techniques to turn this one sided trade into a circular trade. Our EMEKA Pufferbags Project aims to tackle textile waste in Africa while providing work for local tailors. The project takes discarded materials and turns them into stylish and functional puffer bags. By giving circular fashion a modern look, the project aims to promote sustainable consumption and create awareness about where our clothing ends.

One of the key features of the project is the use of QR codes on each bag. These codes provide information about the materials used, the tailors who made the bag, and the journey of the bag from waste to product. This transparency helps to educate consumers about the impact of their clothing choices and the importance of supporting circular fashion approaches.

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