So where do we get so many ring pulls?
Just imagine a beach somewhere in Rio, the Sugar Loaf Mountain in the background, soft white sand underfoot, warm sunshine, great music and thousands of discarded soda cans!
These cans are collected by small armies of people knows as “catadores”, (Brazilian for "can pickers") who are part of a larger sector known as waste-picking. Such activities are now recognized officially as occupations and supported by the Brazilian government. This acceptance and legalization has allowed many disadvantaged people to earn money by collecting cans left on the beaches and bars everywhere.
The ring pulls are separated from the cans and large bin bags are filled with them. The "good ring pulls" – those that are not stained, dirty or broken – are then selected.
The remaining aluminium cans go to recycling plants. Recycling aluminium uses only around 5% of the energy and emissions needed to make it from the raw material bauxite, and as the metal can be recycled time and time again without loss of properties, getting into the aluminium recycling habit is one of the best things we can do for the environment.
Over 91% of soda cans in Brazil were recycled last year. This is equivalent to around 1.4 million cans per hour, making Brazil a world leader in recycled aluminium.
We work directly with Brazilian women artisans, Da-Lata buy the ring pulls from “catadores”, our ladies select, clean and flatten them with pliers to make them safe and comfortable to wear before they start linking them with crochet techniques. This work provides them with stability and higher incomes in return for their amazing workmanship.
We give the ring pulls a new lease of life by being upcycled into timeless pieces which are fair traded wearable works of art that are long lasting.
We transform humble ring pulls into unmissable contemporary classics. Each item is handmade using 1000?s of ring pulls.
Our artisans link the ring pulls with crochet, creating its unique chainmail effect.
Each item is created with 1000?s of ring pulls - that?s a lot of ring pulls saved from landfill!
