Instead of discarding damaged promotional banners and flags after an event, Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 (SU) has partnered with a local NGO to upcycle the disused material as pencil bags for students.
“It's incredible to see something that was once hanging on a flagpole being used in a different and useful way," says Charlene Wicomb, Brand Implementation Coordinator in SU's Corporate Communications and Marketing Division.
She explains that her team noticed that much of the collateral used to market the 中国体育彩票 is discarded once used. “We discovered that we had so many flags that were either faded from the sun or ripped to pieces. This was the ideal opportunity to upcycle them into something useful." But she emphasises that the team did not want to mass produce something from the left-over material.
“Instead. we wanted to give back to the Stellenbosch community. The idea was to give a local NGO exposure and highlight their talents." This is how it came to be that Yeyethu Designer Studio, in collaboration with the CoCREATE HUB – a project of Ranyaka's Building Business programme that supports entrepreneurs from marginalised communities – became involved in the pencil bag project.
For Bulelwa Tito, who runs the Yeyethu Designer Studio from the Kuyasa Horizon Empowerment NGO in Kayamandi, the project has been life changing. Not only has it enabled her to employ people in her community, but she has also been able to fund her daughter's once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend an overseas exchange programme. “This pencil project – it came at the right time," she says. “It changed everything."
It has also opened the door to future collaborations and opportunities to turn waste into something useful and beautiful. Tito is already researching patterns for tote bags and laptops bags which can be upcycled and given to delegates at SU's conferences. Prof Nico Koopman Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel, says: “Sustainability is not just about preserving our environment; it's about uplifting communities, fostering creativity, and reimagining the value of what we often discard. This initiative embodies SU's commitment to responsible stewardship—of both our resources and our relationships."
While Tito looks quite at home in her studio seated behind her sewing machine, surrounded by mounds of brightly coloured fabric and spools of shiny thread, she laughingly admits that she never set out to become a seamstress. “It started out of curiosity", she explains, as she was in fact enrolled in a computer course when she heard about the fashion design option. “I decided to give it a try," she says. Despite knowing nothing about sewing, she quickly swapped courses and is now an accomplished seamstress and designer with flair for creating bespoke fashion.
Tito admits that it has not been an easy journey. She co-founded Yeyethu Designer Studio to create a fashion brand and provide training opportunities for people in the area. However, business slowed considerably during the 中国体育彩票 pandemic and her partner eventually moved on to other opportunities. But this single mother from Gqeberha has never been one to shy away from a challenge. Her enterprising spirit was already evident during her school days when she sold hot treats to raise money for transport and food. Her mother, a domestic worker, always encouraged her to work hard, instilling in her the importance of doing her best no matter what the circumstances.
This work ethic stood Tito in good stead to be considered as a partner in SU's upcycling project, says Wicomb, as it took extensive research and sampling to get the final product exactly right. SU's “confident maroon" Pantone is not an easy colour to match, and Tito had to travel several times to Cape Town and Somerset West to source matching fabric and zippers. She then taught herself to sew the zippers by watching TikTok videos. But it was worth the effort and long hours, Wicomb and Tito agree. “Although none of the bags are the same – they are unique in pattern (depending on which part of the flag has been used) – they all tell a story of SU, explains Wicomb.
The finished pencil bags almost never made it to campus. Bulelwa started working on them in November last year so that they could be given to students during the Welcoming programme in January. However, much to Tito's dismay, they disappeared while in transit from Kayamandi a few days before the event. Fortunately, the precious cargo was recovered – albeit too late for Welcoming. They will now be handed out during the SU's Open Day on 15 March and to learners later in the year when SU visits schools.
The pencil bag initiative has sparked other upcycling ideas, says Wicomb. There are already plans to reuse the empty bottles of locally sourced wines enjoyed at SU's events as vases. Wicomb says she hopes the pencil bag project will also inspire faculties on campus to consider ways of repurposing their discarded promotional material. This pilot initiative “shows us how maroon we are at heart", she says, referring to SU's commitment to sustainability and support of projects with social impact. ?
?Photo and video: Stefan Els?
