The documentary by Prada and National Geographic
A journey around the world to show the production chain of Econyl regenerated nylon
Fashion
July 25th, 2019
July 25th, 2019
Starting in 2021, Prada will use only regenerated nylon for its products, an eco-friendly material called Econyl made from plastic waste recovered from the oceans or destined for landfill and then regenerated. If the first step to introduce this novelty was the launch of the Re-Nylon bag capsules, the second is a series of documentaries created in collaboration with National Geographic. What We Carry takes us around all continents, from Africa to America, from Asia to Oceania up to Europe, to discover the sources of recycled materials that make up the Econyl fiber.
The first stop on the tour was Phoenix, Arizona. Here Bonnie Wright, actress and reporter for Prada, and environmental artist Asher Jay explain how the innovative circular supply chain of the most important US carpet recycling plant is revolutionizing the traditional concept of production, by focusing on regeneration.
After Arizona, the new episode has Cameroon as its protagonist. This time it's up to Australian model Adut Akech Bior, originally from South Sudan, and explorer and environmentalist Joe Cutler to accompany us on our visit to Lake Bones. On their way, the couple meets a number of locals and, together with them, tells us how this lake, one of the largest in the country with an area of 4,000 hectares, provides vital livelihood for the communities living in the area and how, for this very reason, hundreds of used fishing nets have been abandoned in its waters. Something potentially lethal for the ecosystem. Net-Work, a project supported by the Zoological Society of London, has been trying to remedy the situation by recovering more than six tons of nets that are then recycled, depolymerized and processed, along with other waste, by Aquafil in Econyl regenerated nylon. In the coming weeks, Prada will unveil the third video of the What We Carry project.
Fun fact: the soundtrack of the video set in Cameroon is built around the recorded voice of the president of one of the territorial communities of Lake Ossa.
