How long should a Po Campo bag last, and what can we do to help our customers use their bags for longer? In this episode, we speak with Nicole Bassett, Co-Founder of The Renewal Workshop, about product lifecycle, designing for repair, and reducing product waste.
Watch the video, and find additional resources on this topic below.
View the entire Quest for Sustainability series on YouTube.
We touched on a lot of topics in this video, so here's some supporting information:
Tell Us Your Bag's Story
In the video, I mentioned how we were going to start collecting photos and stories of well-loved Po Campo bags to guide our design development and mending/repair offerings.
This campaign is now underway! You can read more about it in the original blog post Every Bag Has a Story, or just skip ahead and email us your photos and story to ilovemybag@pocampo.com.
Repair and Mending Resources
We hope this episode inspired you to mend some of your own apparel / textiles instead of replacing them, as it certainly did for us.
If you'd like to give this a try and you're DIY-inclined, we recommend getting started with the book Fix Your Clothes: The Sustainable Magic of Mending, Patching, and Darning.
If you're not so handy, or you don't want to bother (no judgement!), or you have pieces that need a professional's touch (I would put our bags into this category), there are options for you too.
Many tailors and alterations places can do apparel repairs for you, while shoe and purse repair shops are better places to take your bags. Most of these shops are small businesses, so the best way to find them is the Yellow Pages, or your favorite digital equivalent, like Yelp or Google.
A nationwide map of repair facilities is in the works from the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), with the goal of offering brands and consumers a comprehensive listing of places to go to get their boots, technical apparel, and bags repaired. The map is still being built but you can download a working version of the OIA Repair Facilities listings here. Have a suggestion of a place that should be added? Let them know on Twitter @OIA.
Brands & Organizations We ❤️
First, you should read more about the The Renewal Workshop and BUY SOME RENEWED CLOTHING!
Second, we talked briefly about Girls on Bikes, an organization in Newark, NJ that empowers young urban girls by encouraging participation in recreational activities like biking. And, as I mentioned in the video, they have a great Instagram feed!
Thanks for joining us on our quest for sustainability!
Other Blog Posts You May Like
Episode 1: Starting the Quest for Sustainability
Every Bag Has a Story - What's Yours?
