Upcycling old bedsheets
Recycling can mean a lot of things, including upcycling, where recycled material is turned into a product more valuable than the original. One great example of an innovative upcycler is Reused Remade Ab – the Sweden-based start-up that partners with us to turn our end-of-life bedsheets into handy shopping bags.
Like most people, company co-founder Josephine Alhanko is concerned about the environment and the state of our planet. In 2015 she became more aware of the damage that plastic bags have on the environment, especially the oceans, and felt the need to take action in order to contribute to a more sustainable world. In 2016 her young company found an alternative material to plastic bags – discarded hotel bed linen.
Her company chooses its partners – including Lindström – carefully and currently produces their bags in Lithuania and Pakistan. They strive to be a sustainable company every step of the way and only work with BSCI or Sedex certified factories with good and fair working conditions. Additionally, they use water-based ink and do not dye the bags in order to minimize pollution. A Reused Remade bag made from used hotel bed linen saves approximately 500 liters of fresh water, 50 grams of chemicals, 20 centiliters of crude oil, and 0,7 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions.
Each shopping bag tells a unique story and is cut, printed, and stitched by hand. Even though the textile it’s made from has been washed thoroughly, minor beauty spots may still occur. It has lived a life before its current reincarnation – so every bag is truly unique.
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