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Buttons with Impact

As part of a recycled buttons initiative in India, & Other Stories supports one of the most vulnerable groups of society and takes a step towards inclusive circularity.

Sometimes things as small as a button can create change. Starting with the Spring/Summer season 2023, all our styles that are produced in India feature buttons made with partly reclaimed plastic from waste collected by informal waste pickers in Bengaluru, India.

Sometimes things as small as a button can create change. Starting with the Spring/Summer season 2023, all our styles that are produced in India feature buttons made with partly reclaimed plastic from waste collected by informal waste pickers in Bengaluru, India.

Informal waste pickers – an invisible force for circularity

The informal waste picker community plays a vital part in the country’s waste management – approximately 1.5 to 4 million people contribute to a circular economy by collecting, cleaning, sorting and segregating parts of the 62 million tons of waste generated annually. However, they often live in poverty, suffer from harassment, and have limited or no access to social security.

Saamuhika Shakti – enabling an improved life

Founded in 2020, Saamuhika Shakti is a collective impact initiative aiming to enable waste pickers to lead an improved and dignified life. With a holistic approach, the initiative brings together organisations from different sectors to address the basic needs of the waste picker community like education, health and safety. A strong focus lies on supporting marginalized groups such as women and girls. Today, Saamuhika Shakti impacts 30.000 informal waste pickers and their families while contributing to a more circular economy.

From waste to button

The waste pickers collect and sort post-consumer PET and sell it to Hasiru Dala Innovations, a social enterprise that has received “Guarantueed Member Status” from World Fair Trade Organization. The PET is flaked, washed and forwarded to manufacturers who turn it into buttons, which now adorn our lovable designs. The buttons are traceable down to the source of the waste along with the names of the workers, social security, salary and working conditions in the aggregation center.

Learn more on hmfoundation.com