Johannesburg, South Africa — In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, Deji Dada and Matthew Edwards, along with Sonic State Experiential, have launched the innovative Waste-to-Wear project. This initiative, backed by Heineken South Africa, aims to transform the landscape of glass recycling and promote sustainable design.
Heineken South Africa identified a pressing issue with non-returnable beer bottles being broken and abandoned in fields, particularly in low-income communities. These discarded bottles created unsafe and inaccessible spaces for residents.
To address this, Heineken SA launched a campaign to clean up these broken glass ‘hotspots’, transforming them into green zones under the tagline ‘Fields green with grass, not glass.’
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The Waste-to-Wear project was conceptualised by Deji Dada and Matthew Edwards as a part of Heineken’s campaign for their new returnable 650ml bottle, launched in March 2024.
Their brief was to utilise Heineken’s localised waste stream to create products that are not only sustainable but also stylish and desirable. The project exclusively uses discarded Heineken glass bottles to produce unique items that celebrate the beauty and potential of recycled glass.
Due to the limited access to smaller-scale glass recycling facilities in South Africa, Dada and Edwards collaborated with Ngwenya Glass, a renowned factory near Mbabane in Eswatini. This partnership was pivotal, combining Ngwenya’s expertise in artisanal glass products with innovative design concepts to create items Ngwenya Glass had never produced before.
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The collection includes 3000 rings and 3000 medallions for Heineken South Africa employees, as well as a smaller range of homeware items, including vases, dinner sets, and a hops-inspired pendant light. Each product is handmade, highlighting the unique quality of glassmaking where every piece is a one-of-a-kind creation.
Through the Waste-to-Wear project, Dada and Edwards have successfully recycled close to 800kgs of glass. This initiative not only addresses environmental issues but also showcases the potential of sustainable design. By creating meaningful and beautiful products, Waste-to-Wear aims to raise awareness for glass recycling and inspire further innovation in sustainable practices.
The project’s success has been recognised internationally, winning Bronze at the New York Festivals Advertising Awards 2024.
