Design: Will.i.am and Coca-Cola bring recycled plastic furnishings to W Hotels
by Helen Andrews | 15 Apr 2015
Will.i.am was inspired to turn waste left behind at a Black Eyed Peas gig into recycled sought-after objects and joined forces with The Coca-Cola Company / Shutterstock
Musician will.i.am and The Coca-Cola Company have partnered with Starwood’s W Hotels brand to bring recycled plastic products to properties across the world – promoting sustainability as a stylish lifestyle choice.
A new brand – called Ekocycle – has been launched to create a range of products for hotels which recycle plastic.
The first is the ‘Mobile Charger and Accessory Valet’ (MCAV) – a USB charging device that also acts as a jewellery/watch stand and alarm clock.
Developed by Taipei-based engineering firm Miniwiz, the device is partially made from three recycled plastic bottles. It comes in six colours and will soon be on the nightstands of every W Hotel room around the world.
To recycle even more plastic, Ekocycle has made branded bed sheets, manufactured in part by using rPET – polyester partially made using recycled plastic.
Starting in North America, with global expansion across all W sites expected, each king size sheet set uses approximately 31 recycled 20 oz (570g) plastic bottles. This equates to more than 268,000 plastic bottles being used across all W Hotel beds in North America.
Starwood says guests won’t feel a difference. “These more sustainable sheets are made using the same high quality process as the W brand’s current luxury bedding, with the only difference being the use of recycled polyester instead of new polyester,” reads a statement.
Ekocycle was born after will.i.am was inspired to turn waste left behind at a Black Eyed Peas gig into recycled sought-after objects and joined forces with The Coca-Cola Company.
Starwood Hotels, parent company of W Hotels, says it shares a similar positive vision for global sustainability.
The Ekocycle branded items have launched at the flagship W New York first, with plans to eventually roll out across all W sites worldwide. Items will soon also be available for sale on theW Hotels website, with sheets starting at $207 and the MCAV priced at $75.
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FEATURE: ukactive update – Partnering with Coca-Cola
Musician will.i.am and The Coca-Cola Company have partnered with Starwood’s W Hotels brand to bring recycled plastic products to properties across the world – promoting sustainability as a stylish lifestyle choice. A new brand – called Ekocycle – has been launched to create a range of products for hotels which recycle plastic. The first is the ‘Mobile Charger and Accessory Valet’ (MCAV) – a USB charging device that also acts
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"Culture is the beating heart of this project"
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