Rothy’s has a new idea for ocean plastic waste: handbags
On Monday, the company announced it is expanding beyond just plastic bottles to tackle the next challenge — plastic waste in the oceans.
“This expansion into handbags is a natural progression of our strategy to make sustainable products with environmentally-responsible manufacturing,” said Martin.
Like its shoes, the handbags (priced from $65 to $350) are also machine washable and feature five styles that include a tote, crossbody and a pouch.
Each bag is knit to shape, a proprietary process the company has developed to leave minimal waste on the factory floor, said Martin. This is unlike traditional traditional handbag manufacturing that involves taking a pattern and cutting out the panels out of one sheet of fabric and then assembling it.
“We have essentially designed our machines and our entire manufacturing process around using post-consumer waste,” said Martin.
“We can lead by example”
Rothy’s knitting technology, which it calls “3D-knitting,” has been around for a while, but it was mostly used for making garments. Rothy’s took that technology and adapted it to shoe manufacturing.
The 3D-knit machines in the factory are programmed to make precise sizes and knit the upper shell of the shoe in a single process.
“This is why our shoes don’t have any seams,” said Martin. This technique also helps reduce waste by eliminating the need to cut excess yarn and fabric. “And having no seams, we think, makes them more comfortable.”
Unlike competitors’ 3D-knitted shoes, such as Nike’s Flyprint shoes, Rothy’s have no laces. That presented a challenge. But customers seem pleased with the fit: The eco-friendly shoe brand doesn’t disclose overall shoe sales but said it sold one million pairs in 2018 alone, all made from repurposed discarded water bottles.
Sustainability
“We’ve recycled more than 50 million plastic water bottles for our shoes to date. By making our thread from plastic bottles, we keep them out of landfills,” said Martin.
Rothy’s owns and operates its own “sustainable factory’ in China where each shoe goes through dozens of steps before the finished product is put into a recycled cardboard shoebox.
The factory itself, which employs 1,000 people, is a ‘no waste” operation, he said.
“We recycle everything, whatever falls on the floor and whatever our employees bring in,” said Martin. “I grew up in San Francisco. Recycling was at the forefront of thinking all around me. It’s why I want to make goods in a responsible way.”