More than 5,000 square feet of World Cup banners, flags and other textile materials were saved for a second life through a partnership with Refugee Artisan Initiative and Reuse Seattle.
Second Life
For weeks, banners, flags and signs filled Seattle with World Cup color. Taking them down didn't have to mean throwing them away.
SeattleFWC26 partnered with local nonprofit Refugee Artisan Initiative (RAI) and Reuse Seattle to collect more than 5,000 square feet of textile material that otherwise could have ended up in a landfill. Reuse Seattle provided space at the Reuse Commons to store the materials until they were ready for their next use.
At RAI, refugee and immigrant women receive skills and micro-business training while creating goods from recycled materials. World Cup textiles will become raw material for bags, aprons, accessories, ornaments, toys and other new products.
Some of the material will also be used in public workshops, giving participants a chance to learn upcycling skills of their own.
The banners may no longer hang above Seattle's streets, but their story isn't finished yet.
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