Most of the 50 million tonnes of electronic waste that’s generated every year are treated like garbage even though it isn’t – this realization is what got Vollebak, one of our favorite innovative brands to focus their attention on the electronic waste gathering on our planet. The team at Vollebak, who have never shied away from using challenging materials to create everything from fireproof jackets, 100-year hoodie, solar-charged glowing jacket to a space-friendly cocoon jacket that helps you sleep in space, making them the perfect brand to tackle this challenge head-on. And yes, they have surely delivered!

Meet the Garbage Watch, a watch made by repurposing the electronic waste we throw out every year. Rapidly changing technology has given rise to a culture of disposable electronics – everything from phones to TV, gadgets are not designed to last long. This electronic waste contains many of the world’s precious metals like silver, platinum, copper, nickel, cobalt, aluminum, and zinc. You’ll find 7% of the world’s gold in e-waste! Vollebak changed their approach to the problem, they explained “So our Garbage Watch started with a very simple idea. What if garbage isn’t garbage? What if it’s simply pre-assembled raw materials that we can use to make new things. It’s why everything you can see on the Garbage Watch used to be something else – a motherboard from your computer, a microchip in your smartphone, or wiring from your TV.” The watch itself boasts a skeleton dial that shows off the colorful mash-up of components inside the watch. The wires seem to form the wristband while the mismatched screws and dials are sure to give each watch a unique ‘look’ to help it stand out.

Working in collaboration with the Wallpaper* Re-Made project, the Garbage Watch reframes an often invisible and hazardous end of the supply chain. This project is still in the prototyping phase, it is scheduled to launch in 2021, and their waiting list is open! While sustainability is the solution to the long-term health of the planet, we need more designs like the Garbage Watch to solve the massive waste we have already compiled to take us into the future!

Designer: Vollebak