Théla's 4 C’s for Upcycling - Using Discarded Plastic Bags to Create Something Unique

It seems like reducing our plastic waste consumption is a daily headline these days. As it should be. It is estimated that over 1 trillion plastic bags are discarded annually; filling landfills and polluting our waterways. 

It can be overwhelming to think about the numbers and magnitude of the problem. While local governments are taking initiatives to help, they cannot do it alone. So if you love crochet and exploring non traditional materials, then you might be interested in Théla.

Théla is an Athens based company the creates handbags and accessories using discarded plastic shopping bags. 

How do they do that you ask? Théla follows a philosophy that we have labelled "the 4 C’s of upcycling": collect, clean, cut & create.  

Here is how it works!

1. Collect Discarded plastic bags can only be found in one place. You guessed it! The trash. The team from Thela, gather discarded single use plastic bags from local vegetable markets and various collection points.

2. Clean The collected bags go back to the studio and are thoroughly washed and air-dried. Once dry, the bags are separated by color, texture, condition & quality.

3. Cut Once sorted, the collected plastic is cut into long strips which are glued together at the ends to create the yarn. The newly formed yarn is then rolled into balls for ease of use.

4. Create This is where the fun begins for Théla! Creativity kicks into high gear. Using what they have gathered and prepared as inspiration, the team hand crochets or sews the plastic yarn into the most wonderful unique creations they can think of!

And creative they get! For those of us that are not so inclined, we are amazed at what the team at Théla are inspired to create; products that are functional, fun, whimsical and definitely unique. 

There is a lot of love and thoughtfulness that goes into creating the products they do. And we hope you'll want to read Théla’s story and see that any one of us can be a force for good. Whatever that “good” is for each of us. For Théla it’s the Earth. That is a pretty awesome good.