Malaysia's "Green Hijabs" Are Made From Recycled Plastic Bottles!

The world's first truly eco-friendlier Hijab. Finally, alhamdulillah, the search for a garment meeting both faith and eco needs, has been fulfilled. THANK YOU MALAYSIA. You're my favourite people. :)



WHO MADE THIS?
While there has been difficulty encouraging environmental awareness in Asia, Waste2Wear, a company in Malaysia, have started to utilise their production of recycled textiles to provide uniforms, work wear, and, most recently, The 'Green' Hijabs.

Factory workers ironing the various eco-friendly garments produced by Waste2Wear.

This is a brilliant initiative and I hope the intention inspires our European clothing brands to think of the conscious Muslim consumer too.

WHAT IS A GREEN HIJAB?
The Muslim fashion item 'Hijab' has become a globally recognised term now, with even British Marks & Spencer's getting flack for launching the Islam-friendly 'burqini', so we have all developed some sort of cultural awareness that Hijab = scarf on head for Muslim women. Well done us.

But what makes this green? Islam's teaching has always fundamentally been for people to live nomadically, as though this world is not our permanent home but rather a pit-stop to pitch a tent and pick a berry before moving on. Therefore while it is not the greatest 'sin' to buy and have a lot of clothes, to have a beautifully recycled environmentally friendly item of clothing, ah, now that is spiritual.

BEHIND THE SCENES: The warehouse where all fabrics are organised for sewing and finished products are packed for shipping.

Wearing a Hijab that, although is still technically brand new, does not cost the the earth's raw material, and uses up existing trash, is what makes it, at its heart, green.

THE GREEN HIJAB
Manufactured in factories with fairer treatment, Waste2Wear makes its green Hijab purely by recycling plastic bottles. Bottles are shredded down to tiny bits, which are then melted and washed to convert flakes into threads. These coloured threads then weave together to produce the delicate soft fabrics for green Hijabs.

Malaysia's online retailer Lazada is currently the only provider of these green Hijabs that feel like chiffon and carry the Waste2Wear metal charm as a badge of eco honour.

Three green Hijabs have been produced to date and soon more colours will be available on the Lazada website; pictured above are Hemlock green, Placid blue and Violet tulip.

Each Hijab is gift wrapped in a one-hundred percent biodegradable box and packaging.

Every single box shipped out includes a story card (printed with soy ink on eco-friendly paper) explaining the process and environmental goal of The Green Hijab.

According to the website, each Hijab "saves up to 2 post-consumer plastic bottles" and from start to finish including the gift box,

...The Green Hijab... helps save up to 6 post-consumer plastic bottles from being dumped into the landfills or into the ocean." - Waste2Wear

Ma-sha-Allah, a totally awesome idea put practically into use and that ladies and gentlemen, is how wearing a Hijab, helps clean the environment.

My only question now is, how do we get a delivery with zero carbon footprint?