Lindsay Johnson is the driving force behind Saltii, an eco-conscious brand that produces towels made from recycled plastic bottles.
Avid nature-lovers Lindsay and her husband Bruce have fond memories of their childhoods on the North Coast. “We both grew up with the common ritual of going to the beach almost every weekend,” she reminisces. “When we finished school, we both ventured out of the nest and, for our sins, landed in Joburg for 10 years where we forged our careers in the mundane corporate world. The seaside took a bit of a backseat for some years.”
In 2014, Lindsay and Bruce decided to quit their corporate jobs and travel the world. On a six-month trip to South East Asia, while exploring the area’s beautiful beaches, Lindsay started to notice a huge plastic waste problem. “While visiting ‘The Beach’ movie setting in Thailand, I noticed a massive plastic waste dump that had formed right in the middle of the sea, literally next to the iconic landmark,” she says.
“It was huge, at least 15 metres in diameter and it looked like an iceberg.” The sight left Lindsay feeling quite panicked, especially when she realised that it was just one of many thousands of dumps that form in the oceans. She started actively researching and thinking about ways to turn waste into something useful. “For a few years after the trip, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I could do to turn this salvaged plastic waste into something positive and make a living out of it,” she says.
On their return to South Africa, Lindsay and Bruce got married and had two beautiful boys, Jesse and Oliver. Becoming parents made them re-evaluate their lifestyle, and they decided to move back home to Salt Rock. “That was the best decision we ever made,” admits Lindsay.
“We both feel passionately about having our boys grow up wearing flip flops all year round, enjoying beach time before school and taking a slower approach to life, just like we did as kids.”
But it wasn’t long before Lindsay noticed the plastic waste on our own North Coast beaches. After some research, she discovered that South Africa is a big producer of rPET, the by-product of recycled plastic water bottles. Bottles are processed into little tiny balls, which then get used to produce things such as roof insulation, car floor mats, pillow and duvet inners and more. “There is an entire world out there of different uses of rPET,” explains Lindsay. “And the best part is that rPET can be recycled repeatedly, so it’s super-sustainable and uses much less water and energy to produce than other materials. As soon as I discovered that quick dry towels can be manufactured out of rPET, I just knew that a new focus and passion project had been born in my mind.”
And so, Saltii was born, launching officially at the beginning of summer last year. All the towels are made from recycled plastic water bottles, with about 24 worked into each towel. The towels are available in a range of fun designs, the most popular of which is the animal print, and come in two options: smooth, quick dry and lightweight, and a luxurious waffle weave. There has been a great response so far, and Lindsay says she loves being able to do something creative and inspiring that is also meaningful. “It gives me much satisfaction knowing that I’m doing at least a little bit to help,” she says.
Details: www.saltii.co.za; IG: @saltii_za
Photographs: Pagiel chetty photography
