Saw this on CoolHunting - Smateria is a Cambodian business that makes wallets, totes and even a laptop bag from recycled materials ...
When not providing protection from balaria, dengue fever and other insect-born illnesses, mosquito nets often end up refuse. Smateria uses a clever recycling method to make functional, attractive bags. The Drink Carton Wallets (below right) also come almost entirely from trash. Companies using the omnipresent Tetra Pak cartons give secondhand containers directly to Smateria, where they thatch them into durable money-holders. The Plastic Bags are have the most directly re-purposed source material. They take a spectrum of used shopping bags and weave them into far more resilient totes.
Smateria employs a workforce of local residents and give equal opportunity to the disadvantaged. Members are fully trained before being given access to equipment and are encouraged to organize and share their own work independently of the aforementioned items. That way everybody wins.
I really love the look of the wallets! There are no interior shots of the laptop bag, so you might need a sleeve. But I love it when a company can give back to a local economy as well as do something good for the planet!
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