British Company Turns Fire Hoses Into Fashion

Adam Williams — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 20:17:11 +0000

A company in London has struck a deal with the London Fire Brigade, scoring a win-win. EaKo takes old hoses off the fire department’s hands, turns them into products — bags, wallets, place mats, belts and more — and then sells them, splitting the proceeds with the Fire Fighters Charity.

EaKo’s Web site says:

EaKo is constantly thinking about waste. The instant we met the London Fire Brigade we fell in love with their old hose. Although we started in London, EaKo now collects hose across the UK and in order to thank Britain’s Brigades, 50% of our profits go back to the Fire Fighters Charity. We scrub away all the soot, grease, and everything else that builds up after 25 years of active duty, and in the process reveal a truly remarkable, truly green textile.

The company also reclaims waste coffee sacks, scrap sail cloth, used air-traffic control flight strips, repurposed sunglasses and optician’s boxes, pewter for our belt buckles, and decommissioned office furniture textiles.

Photo: EaKo

Green Options » repurposed products

British Company Turns Fire Hoses Into Fashion

A company in London has struck a deal with the London Fire Brigade, scoring a win-win. EaKo takes old hoses off the fire department’s hands, turns them into products — bags, wallets, place mats, belts and more — and then sells them, splitting the proceeds with the Fire Fighters Charity.