Recyling around the World

Happy New Year to everyone!

I know it’s late coming, but I have been away and am feeling a little behind myself!

 Holiday wasn’t all rest and play though. I was still eager to learn about eco-practices in Thailand, which is what this blog is about….

 Having never been to Thailand before, I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew of the full moon parties and cheap living, but at what cost?

 I was staying in Hau Hin which is about 2 hrs south from Bangkok. It is one of the more established towns within the country, but not the biggest by far.

 
I was surprised to see that there is a lot of Recycling done here, I don’t know if this is through necessity (not having the money to re-produce) but all plastics and glass are separated at the local dumps.

 
 This then got me thinking about our society and how we perceive recycling. As a designer who makes clothes from waste textiles, one of my biggest challenges is to question the way we perceive ‘Recycling’. Things are changing but traditionally we have a perception that second hand clothing or products aren’t cool unless it is vintage or antique (and even then, it seems to be a select audience)! As it makes you look poor and not the ‘Alpha’ cool person, if you don’t have the latest gadget or designer handbag (The Iphone is a perfect example of this). This is why designers like myself are re manufacturing clothing to make it ‘new’ again in order to extend the life of the original product and make it desirable to a new audience. Ironically this is more expensive than producing clothing in the traditional way, so does this type of item become even more desirable?

 
I wish I had the answers, but I don’t know how we as a majority can change this perception. Media needs to change its tack, but how can it do this when the financially buoyant (big) companies are the ones spending the money on advertising in these glossy magazines. If Vogue was full of adverts by The Salvation Army, Emmeline 4 Re and Organic Veg boxes, maybe we would begin to see a shift….

 
I just hope that as Thailand develops (which it is very quickly) it doesn’t get caught up in the Western way of consumerism. Just because we are seen as more developed doesn’t mean we are right!

 
I would love to hear your thoughts or views on this subject, or have you experienced eco practices in another country? Please email me!