Recycled Rubber Sculpture

The shores of the Indian Ocean in eastern Africa are awash with industrial debris from as far away as China, Indonesia, Japan, and Malaysia. Hundreds of brightly-coloured rubber thong pieces and parts wash ashore daily, not only causing blight along the coastlines but endangering the marine eco-system in the vast ocean that lies between these countries. The flip flop initiative by UniquEco is designed to clean up the environment by marketing products made from this waste back to the consumer who generated it, while providing employment opportunities to the poor communities hardest hit by this environmental degradation.

Champali means slipper in Swahili. Local women and children comb the shores to collect the indestructible pieces of rubber champali. Talented artisans and sculptors in the village glue the pieces together in multicolored patterns, then hand carve each carefully crafted animal, transforming recycled waste into stunning works of art
These ingeniously crafted sculptures are a perfect example of how consumers can use their purchasing power to help preserve the precious marine environment at the same time providing employment opportunities to an inspired community half a world away
Dimensions : 12cm x 25cm
Colours will vary from picture as all animals are individually crafted