Did you know that in 2019 alone, close to 30% of Singapore’s waste was contributed by plastics?
In response to this, Singapore’s healthy snack startup Edens recently unveiled one of its most innovative upcycling ideas — the brand worked with the Movement of Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS) to upcycle unused food packaging pouches.
It’s also a good thing that consumers are learning to shop greener and big-name brands like Levi’s Jeans are already showing their concern for the environment.
When Edens decided to downsize their food packaging pouch from 100G to 75G in December 2020, there were about 1,000 excess unused packaging pouches. Since the team was already working with MINDS – Woodlands Employment Development Centre for packing and fulfilment services, the upcycling ideas flowed. The team proposed conducting a sewing workshop for the beneficiaries so that they could be equipped with basic sewing skills for an upcycle project as well as for future employment.
The workshop was conducted by Catherine Low, an undergraduate in Arts Management from LASALLE College of the Arts. With her experience in fashion and merchandising in Temasek Polytechnic, she was able to guide the beneficiaries on how to operate a sewing machine, basic fabric cutting and the concept of a DIY pouch from the unused food packaging. (You may also want to learn the benefits of self-directed learning in this article.)
Catherine said, “I appreciate that Edens sees gaps in the industry and tries to fill it meaningfully. Conducting the workshop for MINDs was a fulfilling exploration into what we take for granted in communication. What really transpired was the essence of human connection! Great fun!”
These upcycled food packaging pouches can be used to store sanitary products, cosmetics, computer chargers, cables and more. In partnership with MINDS, Edens is selling MINDS-made upcycle pouches on the website. They are retailing from $9.90 each and 100% of the proceeds go to MINDS. Edens is also having a 15% sale from 27 April to 1 May 2021. Every dollar you spend with Edens goes beyond just the bag of snacks!
Find out more about the partnership here: https://edenschips.com/pages/edens-upcycle-pouch-by-minds
