Charity expands product range using lorry curtain offcuts
Following the success of their Martha bag made from flexible thermoplastic donated by UK firm Structure-flex, Malawi-based charity Cycle of Good have launched a new range of Anything Goes bags.
Structure-flex have donated offcuts from their lorry tension curtain manufacturing for the last two years, with the resulting Martha tote bag selling over 120 units for the charity in the last year alone.
Now, Cycle of Good has expanded the bags they make from the offcuts to include a range of cube-shaped bags in two colours and five different sizes for use as wash bags, tool bags, trainer bags and more.
“We’re delighted our surplus materials get a second life and help others. The Martha bag was a great idea and we’re keen to see the Anything Goes range generate even more revenue for the charity” says Paul Reeve, Managing Director of Structure-Flex.
Cycle of Good currently employs 33 tailors in Chilomoni, Malawi, who turn donated materials into products for sale in the UK. Profits are used to fund a children’s centre which provides care and support to around 2,000 children.
The charity began in 2010 when it received nearly 20,000 decommissioned bicycles from Royal Mail, which it renovated to sell in the UK and donate to Malawian locals for much needed transport.
Structure-flex, who are the UK’s largest manufacturer of lorry tension curtains, pack offcuts into large wooden crates which are shipped to Africa on a regular basis.
Thanks to the variety of colours and fabric grades Structure-flex use, the consignments include a wide range of materials which the tailors can turn into fashionable and desirable gifts.
“Sustainability is vital today and donating our offcuts helps both reduce waste and create a reliable income to help support communities in Malawi” adds Paul Reeve, Managing Director of Structure-Flex
Over 3,000 women (and men) have completed a diploma-level tailoring course with the charity, at the end of which they are able to keep their donated sewing machine.
Malawi is a landlocked country in southern Africa which is one of the world’s least developed. Those who continue to work as tailors for the charity are paid above the country’s living wage.
Established over 50 years, Norfolk-based Structure-Flex specialises in manufacturing products from flexible plastics using high-frequency welding.
As well as being the UK’s leading suppliers of lorry tension curtains, they provide a range of products including proof load test bags for cranes, air lift bags for the diving industry and innovative flood barriers.
For more details and to order a Cycle of Good bag, visit https://www.cycleofgood.com
For more details on Structure-flex visit https://www.structure-flex.co.uk/
