Dress Made from Recycled Cigarette Filters

If you thought stained, dirty cigarette butts weren’t good for much of anything, you’ll be surprised to see how Chile-based designer Guerrero Mantis transformed them into colorful and sassy clothing and accessories. Developed as a part of a graduate thesis, this project uses dyed cigarette butts collected from bars, streets and restaurants.

From Green Upgrader:

Cigarette butts present a threat to wildlife. Cigarette filters have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales and other marine creatures who mistake them for food … Composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic, cigarette butts can persist in the environment as long as other forms of plastic.

Not only do these cigarette butts invade nearly every public space imaginable but inevitably they are washed away to local water sources where they leach toxic chemicals from the act of smoking into the waterways. Mantis project gleans some of this waste, cleans the filters, and combined with wool to be spun into articles of clothing from hats, gloves, and jackets.

The cigarette butts make up roughly 10% of the fabric while the rest is natural fibers. With cigarette butts being such a significant part of the litter we see every day on the streets, it’s great to see people finding creative uses for them. It might be a bit strange to imagine wearing the remnants of filters full of toxins, but this is certainly a thought-provoking project about how we can make sure that those butts don’t pollute our land and water.

Link [Green Upgrader]

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