While doing marine conservation projects at the Kenyan coast several years ago, one woman observed children making toys out of flip-flops that were washing up on shore. So she started a business to make colorful, fashionable products from flip-flops – while creating jobs and cleaning up the waterways.
Unique business
The Nairobi-based FlipFlop Recycling Company is thought to be the only business of its kind and scale in the world. The company makes about 100 different products from recycled flip-flops. Some of the jewelry has even been down the catwalk at the recent Paris fashion week.
Founder Julie Church says that the goal of her company is to create products that people want to buy, then, make them interested in the back-story.
And much of that story appears to be in the flip-flops’ journey to Kenya. Church says because of ocean currents, rubbish washes up on Kenyan shores from as far away as Indonesia.
Source: Voice of America
By Jill Craig