Trash is not a “THEY” problem, it is a “WE” problem. Did you know we humans produce more than 1.2 trillion kilograms of trash a year?!! That’s the weight of about 7,000 skyscrapers. How can we stop this? Being aware of who made your products and their supply chain is the key to conscious consumerism.

 

Kyle Parsons makes a living from your trash, in particular, your old tires. His concern for the waste disposal challenges in Bali, an island he visited and became enamoured with during a surf trip in 2004 led him to eventually found Indosole, a certified B-Corp company that repurposes Indonesia's end-of-life tires into soles for footwear.  Due to their structure, tires take thousands of years to decompose. And in developing nations, they are often used as a cheap alternative for fuel which results in toxic oils and fumes in the atmosphere that are harmful for human health. 

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Wearing clothes made from trash in his TEDxUbud talk, Kyle outlines his three top tips to turn knowledge into action and help shift the market to recognise the value of materials that are already manufactured.

• Make a committment to cutting out single use items. Start with one item for 30 days, and grow it from there. You will soon realise the needless amount of items that are contributing to our global waste problem.

• Vote with your wallet. Choose businesses that provide progressive options and take responsibility for their products past the point of sale. For clothing this could be repair services or takeback schemes.  

• Actions speak louder than words. Be the example to your friends and family. Gift recycled and upcycled goods, encourage positive actions with those around you. Use a keep cup and take your own straw.

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More than one billion waste tires end up in landfills worldwide and in tropical islands like Bali, it can become breeding grounds for mosquitos, which then leads to the spread of malaria and dengue fever. Or they are burned for cheap fuel, leading to toxic oils and fumes. Kyle runs Indosole out of San Francisco, and the manufacturing process takes place in Bali, staffed by professional Indonesian craftspeople. Find out more at www.indosole.com