Sandals Making Future Dreams Come True In Curaçao

The Limpi Recycling warehouse in Curaçao is full of containers filled with shredded plastic assorted by colour — red, white, yellow, blue, green and orange.

This is the site where industrial product designers Debrah Nijdam and Mitchell Lammering give discarded bottles of laundry detergent, water bottles and other collected plastic waste materials “new” life.

“When we visited the north side of Curaçao we saw how much plastic is being washed ashore on the island and we thought why don’t we bring awareness to this problem by making new products from this plastic waste,” Nijdam tells Travel Courier. “Showing everyone that plastic isn’t waste, but a material that can be repurposed into new high quality products.”

What started in 2017 as a small venture creating coasters, keychains, beach towel clips and medals — some 45,000 products to date — is now part of a project known as Future Goals, an effort to encourage the next generation to play soccer on the island coinciding with the launch of Sandals Royal Curaçao.

“With Sandals’ entry into Curaçao and our firm belief in the transformative link between tourism and community development, we were already starting to explore opportunities on the ground in our newest destination,” explains Heidi Clarke, executive director of the Sandals Foundation. “The ‘goal’ – pardon the pun – was to do something that is innovative and creative, while at the same time respect the island’s surroundings. This was the starting point for the colourful Future Goals program.”

For the full story, check out the latest issue of TRAVEL COURIER.