The Bemz ‘Respect’ series is a collection of fabrics made from fashion industry offcuts and  recycled plastics. Bemz uses these fabrics to create custom furniture covers to extend the lifespan of IKEA products.

Bemz creates custom made covers for IKEA furniture, allowing people to extend the lifespan of their furniture and customise it to fit the decor of their home. Their ‘Respect’ series is a collection of sustainable textiles that can be used in these custom covers. The textiles are made from 100% recycled material, predominantly consisting of offcuts from the fashion industry. Recycled cotton, which comprises 80% of the textile used, is shredded and ground down into cotton fibres, and then spun into a new yarn. The remaining 20% is polyester made from recycled plastic bottles, which is blended with the cotton fibres to make the fabric more durable. In order to further reduce the environmental impact, the textiles are made without any dyes or water.

The Bemz business model centres on the idea that a slightly worn or out-of-style cover should not mean replacing a whole piece of furniture. Every custom cover, curtain, and cushion is made to order so as to minimise waste.

European businesses and consumers discard an estimated 10 million tonnes of furniture each year. Simultaneously,10.5 million tonnes of new furniture is produced annually with remanufacturing accounting for less than 2%. Adopting more circular principles and improving access to repairs and replacement parts for consumers could create a further 160,000 jobs and avoid between 3.3 – 5.7 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.