Fabric offcuts to boutique bags

The document details a partnership between Tradewinds, a parasol manufacturer, and Mors Design, an upcycling initiative, facilitated by WISP. By repurposing textile offcuts that were previously destined for landfill, Mors Design created a new product line of 'Brollie bags', reducing waste disposal costs for Tradewinds and increasing revenue and artisan employment for Mors Design.

• Textile offcuts in the industry are difficult to recycle because their exact composition is rarely known, leading them to be commonly sent to landfills or down-cycled into insulation and under carpets.
• WISP facilitated a synergy where Mors Design collects textile offcuts from Tradewinds and combines them with tyre tubes to produce a range of handbags called 'Brollie bags'.
• The use of textile offcuts improved production efficiency for Mors Design because the materials are easier to work with and do not require the same individual cleaning process as tyre tubing.
• Tradewinds achieved economic benefits by reducing waste disposal costs, specifically regarding logistics and landfill gate fees.
• Mors Design experienced economic and social growth by increasing revenue from Brollie bag sales and expanding its network of artisans from local communities and refugees.
• The successful partnership led Tradewinds to divert its textile offcuts to additional reuse initiatives, including dog beds, handbags, and a community sewing program.
• Since its initiation in 2013, the Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP) has facilitated over 220 synergies, diverting 132,566 tonnes of waste from landfill and generating over R147 million in economic benefits.

APA

GreenCape (2022). Fabric offcuts to boutique bags. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/WISP_Tradewinds_WEB.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Fabric offcuts to boutique bags. 2022. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/WISP_Tradewinds_WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Fabric offcuts to boutique bags |date=2022 |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/WISP_Tradewinds_WEB.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2022fabric, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Fabric offcuts to boutique bags}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2022}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/WISP_Tradewinds_WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }