Eco-clothes that’ll last kids years (at a stretch)
YOUNG children get too big for their clothes in what seems like no time at all.
But expandable outfits that ‘grow’ with your toddler might be a sustainable solution – not just for parents but also for the planet.
The clothing made by London firm Petit Pli is one of ten projects to have received government funding to help tackle disposable fashion and to keep plastic out of oceans.
Made from recycled bottles, the tops and trousers can be worn by youngsters from nine months to four years old.
The tightly folded material, inspired by origami, expands and contracts like the bellows of an accordion, stretching both lengthways and widthways to cater for changes in body shape as a child grows. Petit Pli aims to spend the new business investment – taken from a £2million fund – on developing a line of maternity wear. Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom said: ‘Trailblazing UK businesses are giving us all the choice to buy more sustainable clothing, packaging and cosmetics that are better for our environment. Consumers have shown they are keen for green and we’re committed to championing those innovative companies that lead the way in this, protecting the planet while at the same time opening up huge opportunities for the UK economy.’ Other projects to benefit include the Cornish firm Flexi-Hex, which makes flexible cardboard packaging for surfboards and bottles to replace plastic, and Bag-board, in London, which produces reusable paper shopping bags.
The projects will each receive a share of the total pot, set up by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and private firm Sky Ocean Ventures. The fund will also support West Yorkshire-based textile firm HD Wool, which is replacing synthetic fleeces with sustainable wool.
Fleeces contribute to plastic pollution as they contain synthetic fibres which can reach the sea after draining away from washing machines.
Professor Duncan Wingham, from the Natural Environment Research Council for UK Research and Innovation, said: ‘This partnership with Sky Ocean Ventures, along with other programmes, will help establish the UK as a leading innovator in smart and sustainable plastic packaging solutions.’