STRUGGLING to close an undergarment drawer stuffed full of old bras is part of the daily dress-up routine of many woman — because, really, what does one do with old bras? Now there is an answer.
Instead of throwing them away, the pile of worn-out and ill-fitting bras may be donated to an eco-friendly cause.
Philippine Wacoal Corp. is now holding its second Bra Recycle campaign where donated bras will be converted to “fluff fuel” for cement companies.
“Fluff fuel,” according to an information packet from Wacoal, “is derived from waste plastic, paper, and fiber substituting for fossil fuel like coal.”
According to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDOS), fluff fuels “have a calorific value of 6,500-8,000 kcal/kg and ash content of approximately 10%,” making it an more eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuels.
“Our head office Wacoal Corp. in Kyoto, Japan has been doing the Bra Recycling campaign for more than 10 years,” said Elmira S. Cadungog, Philippine Wacoal Corp.’s merchandising and marketing manager, in an e-mail to BusinessWorld.
“They were the ones who did the study and shared the information to all subsidiaries that old bras can be recycled to become RPF — Refuse Paper & Plastic Fuel. It is a different version of fuel, very similar to fluff fuel.
“Then when Japan Wacoal informed us that Mansei Recycle Systems Inc. from Yokohama City will put up a Plastic Recycling Plant here in the Philippines in 2016, under the name of GUUN Co. Ltd. in Consolacion, Cebu City, they told us to check it out, since we can also join this campaign and transform the old bras into a fluff fuel,” she said.
People may donate their worn-out or ill-fitting bras (any brand) at any participating Wacoal boutique or department store until Sept. 30. Donors will be given a Bra Recycle Paper Bag into which they can place their bras (each bag can fit four bras). The paper bags are then deposited in a recycling bin. Each customer who brings a bra recycle bag filled with worn-out bras will receive a free Wacoal reusable bag.
All the bra recycle bag will remain sealed and will be directly processed into fluff fuel.
“This year, we hope to collect at least 5,000 pieces of Bra Recycle Paper Bags with old bras from employees and customers,” Ms. Cadungog wrote.
For information, visit www.facebook.com/PhilippineWacoalCorp/. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman
