Looks from Kowtow’s Single Use Planet capsule collection. Images supplied.
Ethical brand Kowtow have released a capsule collection called Single Use Planet for World Environment Day to protest against single-use plastic and raise awareness around ocean plastic pollution. It’s a statement from the heart of the brand who are deeply committed to sustainability with their business. Three slogan t-shirts, four jacquard knitwear pieces including pants, a crew, throw and beanie make up the capsule collection which features plastics commonly found along beaches.
“Single-use plastic is the worst offender to our marine environment. We have become complacent, and now something that was once deemed convenient is the bane of our existence,” says Gosia Piatek, Kowtow Founder & Creative Director. “We can’t continue to live in a natural environment and act unnaturally towards it. The earth is our only home and we need to care for it.”
Each t-shirt is created from fair trade certified organic cotton then printed with environmentally inks that ensure sustainable use and treatment of water in line Kowtow’s values. Each piece of knitwear from the range is individually knitted from stock yarn which eliminates fabric waste. It is dyed with Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) approved inks and dyes, which are free from chlorine bleach, toxic heavy metals, formaldehyde and aromatic solvents.
Kowtow will be donating proceeds from the purchase of each piece to oceans charity Sustainable Coastlines to continue their work in school education programs. The young women featured in the campaign images are ambassadors , Sophie Handford and Maha Fier, two environmental activists leading the youth movement against climate change here in New Zealand.
The Single Use Planet collection is available at Kowtow’s flagship store in Wellington, at selected stockists and online now.
In case you were wondering just how big this plastic pollution problem is here are some statistics on the issue:
Single-Use Plastic Facts
• Humans buy about 1 million plastic bottles per minute in total.
• It is estimated that 4 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide annually.
• Half a million straws are used in the world everyday.
• 500 billion disposable cups are consumed every year.
• Plastic packaging makes up 52% of plastics thrown away.
• 32% of the 78 million tons of plastic packaging produced annually is left to f low into our
oceans; the equivalent of pouring one garbage truck of plastic into the ocean every minute.
• The best way to curb single-use plastic pollution is to reduce your personal plastic consumption.
— Earthday.org (2018)
It’s up to each of us to do our part to help save our planet.
Images supplied.