Learning from Africa

Africa and the developing world are in many ways far ahead of the West when it comes to recycling, this reflection after visiting with a delegation from South Africa to the NEOCon trade show in Chicago. “Recycling is not a matter of policy for many in Africa but a matter of survival – which it is fast becoming for the rest of the world,” said Peter Simon, Managing Director of Albert Carpets in Cape Town. “Repurposing, as you call it, is a practical and essential way of life in cultures where nothing goes to waste, nothing technically is waste.” Albert Carpets is a top installation company for InterfaceFLOR, a world leader in sustainability, which has for many years provided chic, eco-friendly and socially responsible modular flooring to customers throughout Africa such as the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and Standard Bank. “Our customers have recognized the environmental impact and value of our sustainable products for years,” said Lesley Fidrmuc, InterfaceFLOR’s General Manager for Africa. “For them, making the decision to go green is nothing new.”

Repurposing of industrial waste has a long history in places like South Africa, where poverty is extreme and extensive despite robust manufacturing. Standard corporate practices have evolved over time to reflect the long afterlife of many products and bi-products. Manufacturers routinely separate trash for informal salvage which can mean anything from adapted household use and building materials to fine art. In recent years, traditional crafts such as weaving and carving have been used to convert scraps like discarded telephone wire, plastic trash bags and bottle tops into ornate bowls, decorative baskets, animal figures, mobiles, CD racks, handbags and much more. Collectives now offer these goods for resale in high end boutiques, gift shops and craft markets – even to museums - fueling a vibrant cottage industry for many, often women. We who are new to eco-awareness could learn a lot from our global neighbors. It is our turn to discover how scarcity and dwindling resources -- a reality for more and more of the world’s inhabitants – can lead to us to share, conserve, recycle, reuse, reinvent and re-conceive.

image: telephone wire baskets