Helping Zanzibar – Upcycled Glass in to Handmade Objects by Bottle Up

I always want to support projects that tackle change in society and make us think more deeply about the way in which we consume. That’s why I was instantly attracted to this project by Hubert and Elisabeth van Doorne named ‘bottle-up’ that came about when six young Dutch designers travelled to Zanzibar in September 2015. Working with local craftsmen they designed an initial series of products made from empty bottles, these were part of an initiative to solve the trouble of glass waste on this small island that many tourists travel to.

The craftsmen have since been selling these on the island, to tourists, shops and also to upmarket hotels that reside there. A great start but the foundation wasn’t finished there, that was just stage one of moving toward a cleaner island. As they hope to process larger quantities of glass waste they have since developed a decorative material titled Terrazzo that consists of white cement and glass that has then been turned in to a series of furniture and accessories. Not only are they all functional they are also beautiful and the properties of the glass can be seen in a contemporary way.

For me projects like this are really important and designers can make a big impact in this department. We need more ways to tackle our consumption and the way in which old materials can be recycled in new and unique ways for us to use again. Do we really need something new all the time? I hope you will support this project by going on to their website below, you can also watch a video that explains the whole story from the start. Enjoy.

bottle-up.org

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