Sustainable Flip Flops
Currently, around 3 billion people purchase a new set of flip flops every year, with polyurethane foam flip flops being the primary constituent of most products and one of the most significant pollutants of the ocean.
Recently recycled flip flops have become more popular, which although is an improvement on the traditional polyurethane style, is unfortunately not a long term solution to the world's plastic crisis. The vast majority of recycled flip flops purchased are cheap and disposable and quickly find their way into landfills and the ocean.
The brand Waves knew that there had to be a more environmentally friendly alternative and worked hard to create their 100% sustainable flip flop range made from 100% natural rubber.
The compound in natural rubber breaks down harmlessly in the ground and is much better for the environment than the regular and recycled varieties. Bacteria and other organisms have a chemical arsenal that can break the bonds between the chains, processing the constituent components of the rubber, and turning it into harmless waste products. Over millions of years, evolution imbibed species with this ability, turning the rubber we use in our flip flops into a safe, non-toxic benign material.
Natural rubber is harvested from several species of trees and comes out as a kind of milky liquid. The raw polymer comprises a mixture of isoprene units and impurities. Processing removes the impurities and encourages the units to join up into long chains, giving rubber its characteristic properties.
Even though Waves use natural rubber to make their flip flops, they recycle too. They use discarded rubber flip flops and off-cuttings from the manufacturing process and granulate them, add them into the rubber sheets and use them in new products. This system cuts down on the total amount of rubber that producers need to grow, reducing water, land and energy use.
They have also created their flip flop recycling scheme where customers can send in any brand of flip flop and Waves will make sure they are disposed of responsibly and send you a 10% off voucher for the Waves brand.
Waves flip flops are 100% sustainable; from the natural Sri Lankan rubber to supporting the artisans who make them, each step of the Waves manufacturing process uses ethical and sustainable methods. When you buy a pair of their flip flops, you are helping support the rubber farming communities of Sri Lanka, providing them with a fair, safe and sustainable livelihood.
Shop HERE for Waves eco-friendly flip flops
