A list of sustainable items from recycled products, plant or industry waste.
Feel free to let me know if you have anything to add to this list. The list is intended to motivate, and make others aware of alternatives.
Bags
solar backpack to charge things on the go.
bags, backpacks and travel gear – recycled tire rubber and hemp
bags made from reclaimed billboards
Linen and bedding
beds and bedding – organic cotton futons and matresses, latex mattresses, organic and recycled blankets and duvets, sheets and linen, organic cotton and natural wool pillows, natural latex cervial pillows, organic buckwheat hull pillows
plastic shopping bags stuffed into canvas matresses, for destitute children. Bags tied into knots before hand.
Apparel, decor and luxury items
candle holders – from discarded and re-fabricted bicycle parts
natural vegetable wax and beeswax without petrochemical-based paraffin wax
gmo free soy candles
wall clocks and pendulum wall clocks from recycled computer and bicycle parts
Textiles (aside from clothing)
natural fibre hemp rugs; recycled wool potholder area rugs (made in India) ; recycled cotton rag rugs;
soy yarns produced from the residue of soybeans from tofu manufacturing
seagrass natural fibre carpets – company: brightfields
water hyacinth – baskets, chairs, and other pieces of furniture — even biodegradable sanitary napkin
Stationary and utensils
cards from recycled paper
paper from elehant dung
plastic knives and forks made from potato starch, plastic cups made from PLA plastic or corn starch, plates made from sugar cane fibre – both compostible.
Furniture
furniture made from sustainably harvested woods, recycled and reclaimed goods
recycled plastic chairs, furniture, picnic tables
FSC furniture; second-growth furniture
recycled shipping pallet gifts and furniture
household furniture – using recycled cardboard, non-toxic adhesives, and VOC-free paint.
Clothing and accessories
organic cotton diapers, natural wool puddle pads
jewellery from recycled materials
yarns from recycled sari’s
yarns from stalks and leaves of banana trees
shoes from bamboo, crepe rubber and old car tyres
bamboo, soy, corn and seaweed clothing
sustainably harvested, natural latex rubber to make clothing
the soles of boots made from recycled surgical gloves.
Ingeo, a renewable fiber spun from fermented corn (mielie) sugars (example I found was partly sourced from GMO corn)
yarn-woven soy socks and 60% bamboo “smile” shirts
recycled capilene and polartec sports clothing – also recycled cotton, Recycled Polyester and recyclable polyester, Hemp ; Organic Wool ; Chlorine-free Wool
shoes made from recycled car tires, crepe rubber and organic cotton
Cleaners and Paints
oxygen-powered, natural,biodegradable, multi-purpose cleaner; biodegradable low-sudsing washing detergent; manual floor and carpet sweepers
zero or low volatile organic compound paints
Foodstuffs and farming
organically grown, fair trade, shade grown, whole bean coffee
organic black, white and green loose leaf teas; organic herbal teas
organic honey
fair-trade coffee, chocolate
hen coops for DIY egg-raising
Interest (not necess. under heading of sustainable)
board games – cooperative games
humane live ‘no kill’ mousetrap systems
microbrewing and local draughts
Cosmetics
cosmetics – http://www.cargocosmetics.com/
Building materials and energy efficiency and household appliances
power strips
thermal blankets for geysers
recycled glass tiles
bamboo plywood
sorghum waste fibre – formaldehyde free , used as panelling, also straw-based panelling
wheatboard, from left-over stems from harvest, as core of cabinets with FSC certified veneer
cotton insulation made from pre-consumer recycled denim scrap
bamboo flooring – formaldehyde free adhesives available
mushroom spores to create panels
(formulate list of sustainable /green architects to be able to merket any of these products with)
marmoleum floors – made from linseed oil, wood flour, rosin, jute and limestone.
cellulose insulation
haybales
cement moulds, as is used for skateparks
low-energy building materials such as timber, lime, clay blocks and clay plasters.
Manufacturers of Hydraform blockmaking machines for on site production of interlocking dry stacking soil-cement blocks
Flooring made of bamboo plywood, cork planks, composite board and carpeting using co-polyester resin and recycled content is more readily available.
Household, commercial and industrial fittings
skylights for supermarkets and other large commercial outlets with flat rooves
air purifiers – how about indoor plants as purifiers
composters and rain barrels (the Environcycle composter and compost tea maker)(worm composting bins)(the urban compost tumbler)
recycled rain barrel rainwater collection system
http://www.akwadoc.co.za
thermal insulating blanket for geyser
occupancy sensors – motion sensors and motion trigerred lights
heliostat mirrors – to redirect sunlight into offices, reducing need for artificial daytime lighting.
sun tracking skylights
matching street lighting to eye sensitivities
light output of street lights in accordance with moon light
Green building methods
green rooves
rainwater harvesting
living walls
treehouses
Glazed thermal buffer
Water harvesting systems
Louvers – top and bottom
Light shelves
Sod roof (form of a green roof)
Renewable energy and nutrient recycling
miscanthus grass as a renewable energy source, switchgrass as biofuel
geothermal heating system by Rehau
biodigester or biogas digester – biodigesters that feed on sewage as well as garden waste and organics
solarpowered technology – garden lamps, backpacks
on-site sewage treatment systems –
Water containing human wastes and other organic material would pass through a methane reactor to create energy to power the building.
reedbed sewage system
re-circulating hydroponics
indoor composting device – runs on 10W of power – nature mill
solar light systems
urine-diverting toilets
local biogas production units
rocket stove
rocket mass heaters
woodchips produced from wood from cornicing and sustainable felling
Sporting and Leisure goods
recycled tire swings
skateboards made from bamboo and from recycled scrap birch
packaging and bioplastics
a botanical lipstick packaged in a 100% biodegradable tube made of polylactic acid—a corn-based renewable resource
corn-based plastics – cargill owned natureworks – PLA – bioplastic – tossed into a compost bin instead of the trash
General (methodology and processes forming a part of sustainability)
plant-based plastics
vegetable-tanned leather (i.e. not chromium)
vegetable and plant dyes and other forms of natural dyes
hemp
micro-generation (of energy) ; combined heat and power (CHP) systems
recycled aluminum to produce a range of products
converting sugarcane and sugarcane residue into environmentally friendly products
transport
solar powered blimps?
windcars, windbikes, windboards
electric cars
hybrid electric cars
liquid natural gas cars
Earthan 