Russian fashion house designs exclusively with landfill plastic

99Recycle partners with charities that help clean and sort the plastic, which is then hand-crafted into specialist items

Spotted: Working with local charities, the St. Petersburg-based company 99Recycle creates clothing, accessories, bags, interiors products, skateboards and many more products, all from plastic waste sourced from several large landfill sites just outside the city. A number of the brand’s partners help to clean and sort the plastic, and unlike traditional fashion houses, this is what makes up the majority of time spent on each product.

Specialist sewers then hand-craft the items, often using castoff materials such as old trampolines and advertising banners. For larger pieces, the company built a custom 3D printer that works with plastic waste. The team plans to use the printer to expand its work into public spaces, with benches and other social works.

Eco-education is an important part of 99Recycle’s ethos, and the team works closely with other organisations to help increase their sustainability. Part of this involves assisting businesses in reducing potential pollution, by upcycling worn and broken items into new pieces of corporate branding.

Many new labels are being created to make full use of the available waste products from clothing and accessory production. Among them is a Swedish brand that works closely with Indian suppliers to turn sari offcuts into unique pieces, such as bags and scarves. Other projects like this New Zealand wool sourcing platform, which is helping growers cultivate in a kinder, more sustainable manner, ensuring that raw materials are already closer to being carbon neutral than many already available.

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