Upcycling to help save lives
The RNLI, the UK and Republic of Ireland’s largest maritime lifesaving charity, has launched a clever range of bags and travel accessories made exclusively from decommissioned lifejackets. The range, ‘235 Made For Life’, comprises six items including a wash bag, messenger bag and tablet cover, all handmade in the UK using recycled materials from operational RNLI lifejackets.
In 2012, the RNLI made the decision to replace and redesign all RNLI crew lifejackets. The old style jackets had given exemplary service but had come to the end of their recommended life and were becoming too expensive to maintain. Two brand new designs of lifejackets were introduced at a cost of more than £1M. Providing this integral item of safety kit costs money, but the RNLI charity provides all of its 4,600 volunteer crew members with vital training and essential life-saving equipment to keep them as safe as possible while they risk their own lives to save others who find themselves in trouble at sea. The RNLI aims to recycle every part of the decommissioned lifejackets, from steel and brass components to the fabric, ensuring the charity can generate funds to offset the cost of the new lifejackets, while disposing of these cared-for items in an environmentally friendly way.
For the first time ever, 235 Made For Life bags – named after the number of RNLI lifeboat stations from which the lifejackets originated – offer the chance to own a little piece of RNLI history, while helping to generate vital funds for the charity. 100% of profits from the sale of 235 Made For Life items, as with all RNLI Shop products, are used to help save lives at sea. As a charitable organisation, the RNLI relies on public support to provide its lifesaving service.
The products are available online at RNLIshop.org
By Jake Frith
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