This year, Brampton’s Young Enterprise has decided to produce decorations and jewellery from recycled material.
With the slogan, “from dust to jewels”, and an environmental goal in mind, our group, who have named ourselves ‘Revive’, has produced a wide range of jewellery. From hoops made out of computer wires to colourful shapes made from melted plastic, there is a wide range for anyone and everyone to choose from.
Recently, COP27 and the constant reminders of climate change have made our group aspire to create a path to consumption that is sustainable – consumption that does not contribute to the environmental crisis that mining for jewels has caused. With crises like the flooding in Pakistan, the constant hurricanes in the Caribbean, and the rising sea levels doubling since 1993, our group felt it would be harmful to contribute by purchasing from companies that already play a major part in greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, we focus on repurposing products that have already been produced. ‘Revive’ is donating a percentage of the proceeds to environmental charities, therefore we are also hoping to make a direct impact on the and protection of the environment.
Furthermore, the products we produce do not promote or aid the exploitation of miners, but rather condemn the systems that allow miners to be practically enslaved for the attainment of these materials, especially those in under-developed countries. These people have been forced to work in illegal mines, in order to survive economic and political strain, and are often violently mistreated, with some being paid exploitative wages of an average of 7p per day. Moreover, trafficking of workers and child labour are often linked to the obtaining of these materials; in Tanzania, the 2014 National Child Labour Survey showed that over 4 million child labourers from the ages of 5–17 were employed and exploited, their smaller bodies making them more able to crawl through narrow tunnels in unregulated tanzanite mines to help position mining equipment and explosives. Therefore, our group is providing a more ethical consumption of products like jewellery with both the environment and human rights in mind.
All the products will be sold at low prices (with most pieces to be priced below £3), allowing a wide range of people to be able to purchase them. The group also hopes to create a variety of products for each season and holiday, and has a wide range of different pieces expected in the future. The first pieces will be made available in college today, but also will be sold through the Young Enterprise Instagram account, and will be advertised on posters, put up around college.
Young Enterprise Team