All products from Cassius Eco Fashion are made from recycled/upcycled materials that were to be discarded and destined for oceans and landfills across the world. A majority of our goods are made from cork which is harvested from the bark of cork oak trees, which can regenerate after harvesting. This process promotes tree health and longevity. Additionally, cork's natural properties make it durable and recyclable, reducing waste production. The outsoles of our footwear are made from recycled plastics and we have two styles whose outsoles come from recycled coffee grounds. Yes, coffee, the amazing drink that transcends geographical, political and even religious boundaries. The world population drinks over 2.25 billion cups of coffee every day, the consumption of this drink is just incredible. But there is a dark side of this consumption: Coffee grounds are the dregs remaining after brewing coffee and their adequate disposal constitutes a major environmental problem. After finding out that there was a new technology that could inject coffee grounds into rubber in order to produce solid soles, we wanted to participate. The factory in Portugal has an alliance with a sole manufacturer who started collecting coffee waste from coffee shops and coffee manufacturers and incorporate them into the existing raw materials. Since Cassius is not a brick and mortar, most of my work is done from my home. In order to reduce waste in my daily life below are a few things I do: 1. Composting: Compost organic waste like food scraps and yard trimmings. 2. Reusable Items: Using a hydro flask, cloth instead of paper towels, glass jars/containers. 3. Cooking: Creating meals from scratch minimizes single waste plastics/packaging. 4. Digital Documentation: Opting for digital documents to minimize paper usage. 5. Donating: Donating all clothes and footwear and participating in tri county garage sales. The statistics are in. According to EPA.gov, the amount of trash generated by an average American per day is 4.9 lbs. Amount of trash generated by an average household of 4 people per day is 19.6 lbs. Amount of trash generated by an average household of 4 people per week is 137.2 lbs. ($7,134.4/yr.) Compare to the average trash generated by my household @ 37 lbs./wk., 100 lbs. less than the average (1,924/yr.). These calculations signify a reduction of over 5k lbs. per year! Average cost of waste disposal in NJ is $99.40/ton Average disposal cost = 3.04 X 99.40 = $302 compared to 1 X 99.40 = $99.40