From Waste to Wonder: Meet The New Bumiterra Recycled Pins!

It’s great to see you again! ?? In our last newsletter, we shared some exciting news about our updated client registry —? if you missed it, don’t worry, you can catch up right here! Today, we’ve got something really special to share with you, and it’s a first for us. Not only will this take our restoration efforts to the next level, but it’s also something you can be a part of! We can’t wait for you to be a part of this journey!

?? Breathing A Second Life to Our Used Polybags ??

In our restoration efforts deep in the heart of Borneo’s lush rainforests, we take special care of every tiny seedling before they’re ready to begin their incredible journey of growing into towering trees. Before they touch the rich, natural soil, we nurture them with love and attention at our nursery, where they’re placed in small polybags made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic. The nursery provides a controlled environment where our team carefully monitors and nurtures the seedlings, ensuring their health and proper growth. Once they reach maturity and are strong enough to live on their own, we transplant them into our reforestation plots with the hope that they’ll turn into massive trees.

While we're actively working on transitioning to biodegradable polybags made from locally made anyaman, the LDPE plastic polybags we’ve used in the past are still with us today. Unfortunately, LDPE plastic can take anywhere from 500 to 1,000 years to degrade, depending on environmental conditions. Some parts might never fully decompose, breaking down instead into microplastics.

You might be curious about what happens to the polybags at our nursery sites once our seedlings are ready to thrive in nature. ?? At Bumiterra, we believe in turning those polybags into something valuable instead of letting them become harmful waste. Why discard them when we can breathe new life into them? ?? This is what we meant by dedicating ourselves to discovering creative and sustainable solutions at every turn!

?? A Fresh Start with Mortier

Once our polybags have fulfilled their important role in nurturing seedlings, we make sure they’re collected for repurposing. One of the ways we use them is by attaching them to sticks as signs at our restoration sites. The rest are kept to be transformed into something truly valuable! ??

As you might know, our dedicated Bumiterra team in Jakarta regularly visits the restoration plots in West Kalimantan. During these trips, we gather up the remaining used polybags and bring them back with us. This approach not only cuts down on unnecessary shipments but also helps us lower our carbon footprint by avoiding separate trips just for the polybags. ??

But here’s where the real magic happens! We team up with our wonderful friends at Mortier, experts in sustainable plastic repurposing. Together, we take our stack of used polybags and transform every 60 of them into durable 5mm sheets by pressing and fusing them. Then, we laser-cut each sheet into the shape of our unique pins, creating around 20 of these beautiful pins that carry the spirit of the forest and the story of reforestation with them. With this, we avoided 27% of emissions compared to making normal pins! The material we use produces much lower emissions during the production process compared to conventional steel, which has a significantly higher carbon footprint. Thus each pin serves as a little reminder that we all have our special role, no matter how small, in protecting our precious forests.

?? Wear Your Impact with Pride

These pins are more than just accessories — they’re true badges of honor! ?? Each pin carries with it the important journey of the polybags, which nurture small seedlings, helping them grow strong enough to become magnificent trees. When you wear one of these special pins, you’re not just adding a stylish touch to your outfit; you’re also making a meaningful difference in the world around you. In total, we have recycled 7kg of plastics with more being recycled as we speak. Every pin you wear contributes to the kickstart of a plastic-free reforestation project, allowing you to wear it with pride, knowing that you’re directly supporting our forests and the communities that lovingly care for them. ??

The Bumiterra Recycled Pin is a joyful reminder of how we can transform waste into something meaningful. It highlights that even the smallest actions can ignite significant change. Together, we’re demonstrating that sustainability begins with simple choices, and every effort contributes to a brighter, greener future for our planet. ???