Apart from a few things from American Apparel and Uniqlo, oh and a knock-off Balenciaga riding hat from H&M, on the whole, there is a lot to lose from fast fashion.

Barcelona-based studio Bel & Bel has found an ingenious use for vintage Vespas – as upcycled office chairs.

DIY inventors in Africa have developed innovative solutions to practical problems with old plastic containers.

British designer Kyle Bean has created this impressive set of cardboard sculptures as a statement on the environmental impact of constantly upgrading to the newest tech gear.
[ via Design Crave ]

The Luximo LED task light is the product of California based designer Joerg Student and engineer Frank Shum. Joerg told us that his goal with the Luximo was to interpret its function in an elegant way. He noted that many LED lights are appearing on the market now. But what he has seen elsewhere hasn’t taken full advantage of the efficiency and unique engineering requirements LED bulbs have. Every piece of the Luximo has been designed to be eco-friendly, long lasting, and easy to maintain.
The base and body are made of 100% aluminum and can be recycled. The power adapter [...]

Reduce, reuse, recycle — we’ve all heard it a million times. It was the simple mantra that marked the mainstream arrival of the environmental movement. But from this clever catchphrase has grown such a cacophony of “green noise” and green-washed marketing that people have gotten overwhelmed by the right things to do. However, since 83% of people say they would change their consumption habits to make tomorrow’s world a better place, brands still have an incredible influence on environmental change. Maybe a return of the three Rs is just the point of reference people need to get some new perspective [...]

Scrap Lab, a part of the architecture department at Kasetsart University in Thailand, is looking to utilize leftover materials from industrial processes to create new products. From plastics, to wood, metal and fabrics, Scrap Lab plans on creating a system that will efficiently catalog and find uses for as many left overs as possible. (Image above is their chair made of scrap denim.)
They explain:
[why] Scrap Lab aims to be at the forefront as an ecological combatant, particularly with current concerns for the global environmental pollution and the rising interest regarding global corporate social responsibilities (CSR). Through the recirculation of wasted [...]

Rob Walker, author behind “Buying In” and the popular “Consumed” column for the NY Times Magazine, is best known for his work that examines the fluid relationships we have with the objects in our lives – much of it dealing with the ways our purchasing habits affect us emotionally and psychologically.  And though we may have all experienced the rush of buying a pair of designer shoes, what happens when they’ve lost their luster and the “thrill” is finally gone?
Whether because they no longer work or simply because we no longer want them anymore, we are constantly faced with the [...]