When your car tyres are worn out, you may need to replace them but Suleiman Shifaw and his wife Zahra Kauffman see value in the old tubes.
“There is this perception that quality products are not produced from Africa — we want to change that story. So one of the most important things for us is to make sure that Africans or Africa can produce quality products, quality brands that can compete anywhere in the world,” said Suleiman Shifaw, oo-founder, Felek.
The tubes are removed and thoroughly cleaned before being cut to size. The edges are filed down using a paper machine.
A simple book cover can be made by affixing the tyre to a notebook with strong glue. Alternatively, the rubber can be combined with other materials.
“We are now having linkages and partnerships with other organisations, where now even embassies and different private companies are saying, hey we have this waste, can you do something with it? For instance there is a company here that produces fabric, scarves and they have a lot of waste we take their waste and combine with our tires and our leather and create something beautiful out of it. It’s been very exciting,” said Suleiman Shifaw, oo-founder, Felek.
Zahra Kauffman is a trained psychotherapist, and gives these recycled notebooks to her patients to document their recovery process.
“I give my client a lot of assignments a lot of reflecting time that is required but it would be nice also to have something. But usually it is just a simple exercise book and they don’t get excited about it. But I have notices that the more I encourage them to really look at themselves and to have the space to think about it they really enjoy it. I had few clients who thought the notebooks were so beautiful they don’t want to write anything on it. I said no, that is not the point,” said Zahra Kauffman, co-founder, Felek.
It’s not just tyres , the couple has also used recycled plastic and leather. They’re currently experimenting with coloured paper.
A notebook costs between 14 and 25 dollars depending on its size, time and materials used to produce it. For now, the target clientele are organisations and individuals who value eco-friendly production many of whom are already placing orders for customised products.
