Sustainability Warriors

“Preserve the past and protect the future. Keep up the Earth’s enduring legacy.”– Sandeep Choudhary

Saving the environment is the moral responsibility of every individual. World Environment Day is celebrated across the globe annually on June 5, but this cause should become a part of our system and not be celebrated only on a single day. It is on this day that awareness is created on issues related to our environment, and we take a pledge to keep it safe for the future generations to come. World Environment Day encourages awareness and action for the protection of the environment. The theme for 2024 is “land restoration, desertification and drought resilience.”

With the ever-changing trends in fashion and affordability, people invest in clothes and accessories without thinking about disposing of their previously owned items. In addition to degrading in landfills or being incinerated, fast fashion clothing has also become a notorious source of microplastics in marine environments as the cheap, plastic-based materials shed fibres that make their way to the oceans. It is important to create awareness among the People of Determination community about this aspect, and how they can effectively contribute towards the same.

With this goal in mind, the officials from Kiswa undertook an orientation for the People of Determination community. Kiswa is a company in the UAE that specializes in recycling and upcycling used clothes since 2015. Their mission is to build a sustainable ecosystem for used clothes that helps individuals and enterprises to reach textile-zero waste. They support recycling and promote sustainability by collecting used clothes and repurposing those. A lot of old clothing material ends up in landfills in all countries. People are not aware of how and where to recycle those materials. Kiswa is motivating them to recycle their old and damaged clothing items and materials, such as cotton toys, bags, bed sheets, and towels, by buying the same from them.

Through this orientation, the community individuals were prompted to recycle their used items with financial benefits. A collection drive was organised, where individuals from People of Determination community approached the neighbourhood as sustainability advocates. They collected the required articles, sorted, and packed them. Volunteers over the age of 15 years were paired with one Person of Determination. Together, they handed over the collected items, weighed them and got remunerated for the same. The drive successfully instilled the willingness by every individual to continue to support this cause for the months to come. The happiness of receiving money in return for the collection brought a bright smile on each face. When asked what they would do with the amount collected, we got to hear some unrealistic dreams like, “I will open a café,” “I will buy a phone,” or “I will give it to my parents.” But then dreams do come true. It was heartening to see the enthusiastic participation of children of all age groups as well as parents, and caregivers alike. There were 26 People of Determination, 24 volunteers and around 80 parents participate in this drive. A total of 750 Kgs of clothes, shoes, bags, and toys were collected for giving away. It was indeed a proud moment.

Since its establishment, Kiswa has saved more than 4,00,000 items from being thrown into the landfill. It also created partnerships with schools, hotels, and fast-fashion companies in the UAE. Easy pick-up and the payment have motivated many, and it also helped to spread awareness about the possibility to recycle clothes in the UAE. We, as People of Determination community, are happy to be part of their endeavour.

The only thing that is not reusable is our planet’s ecosystem. Let us handle it with care.

Nisha Tandon