Ralph Lauren Insulates Habitat for Humanity Homes
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 06. 2.06
We’ve commented on UltraTouch Bonded Logic insulation before. But today they release a new product. A team of volunteers from the Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation are due to assist Habitat for Humanity install the insulation into a five storey South Bronx apartment (of eight affordable residential units) in New York City. What’s different about this exercise is that the insulation is recycled denim made from nearly 20,000 pairs of jeans.
Ralph Lauren through their G.I.V.E. campaign (Get Involved. Volunteer. Exceed.) encouraged many celebrities like Sheryl Crow and Tobey Maguire, to join mere mortals in handing over raggedy old jeans (clean, of course) so they might be converted into some 80,000 square feet (7,400 m2) of recycled housing insulation. A boric acid solution is applied to the cotton fibre to inhibit mould, mildew and pests. A fuseable binder was then added and baked to yield a thermally bonded batt. We understand recycled denim batts to be “free of carcinogens and formaldehyde, and more effective than traditional insulations in resisting extreme cold and in providing superior noise reduction.” Habitat for Humanity will take to bulk of the insulation to Mississippi to include in their hurricane disaster recovery efforts. Via ::Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire.
The insulative qualities of denim have been known to me for several years, since my grandmother made me a quilt out of old jeans. Still, after close to a decade of daily use, is still warm enough to fight off the English weather. Denim is a great source for recycling projects because it can used in so many different ways (and, if it is worn enough, it even looks cool).