Cleveland's Sharie Renee is passionate about unused magazines, annual reports and brochures. The founder and CEO of Cosmic
Bobbins uses them to do something positive for people, the planet and profits.
Renee gets old publications from companies and organizations. "I then 'upcycle' the paper by getting it transformed into one-of-a-kind accessories with parts of the organization's logo and design appearing on them," she explains.
The transformation is done for Cosmic Bobbins by residents of a small, low-income town in Mexico, using an indigenous technique of folding and weaving decorative paper. Renee first learned of the traditional craft while visiting Mexico.
She has had the residents create pencil holders for University Circle from its old annual reports and make scissors cases for Paul Mitchell hair stylists using the company's old brochures. The Cleveland Botanical Gardens sells Cosmic Bobbins' purses -- made from the organization's old newsletters -- in its gift shop.
"We're giving organizations back their paper waste remade into something beautiful and desirable," Renee explains.
Cosmic Bobbins isn't just about upcycling paper into colorful accessories, however.
"We're giving back to the world one magazine at a time," she explains.
Renee does so by paying the Mexican artisans a fair wage for their work. She also employs up to 38 clients of United Cerebral Palsy of Cleveland, who sort the paper by color or size in a sheltered work environment. By providing fair wages to both groups, she's helping relieve poverty and create jobs.
Renee has a clear vision for Cosmic Bobbins. "We're committed to creating a global community with a focus on sustainability and social good, where people are meaningfully employed and there's a spirit of hope," she explains.
Source: Sharie Renee, Cosmic Bobbins
Writer: Lynne Meyer