According to the Mister Timbuktu team, fashion is the second biggest polluter in the world. Around half a million tonnes of fashion products are thrown into landfill a year – and that’s just within Australia. That’s a huge amount of pollution, no matter how you look at it. The fashion world has seen a shift away from fast fashion and its hazardous practices, with a new wave of ethical goods catching eyes through sustainable manufacturing standards, quality materials and genuinely engaging styles. One brand riding the ethical wave is Mister Timbuktu, which creates outdoors apparel from recycled materials without compromising aesthetic and quality.

Mister Timbuktu’s fabric is called RPET – or recycled polyethylene terephthalate – made from recycled plastics that are shredded, washed and melted into liquid form, before yarn is extracted, spun and used to create fabric. The resulting garment range includes stretchy leggings, raincoats and crop tops. Mister Timbuktu is crowdfunding its initial production run, with a goal of expanding the range to include hiking pants, jackets, tents and sleeping bags. Roughly 20-percent of profits will be donated to charitable causes, including mental health organisation Waves of Wellness and environmental group Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife. Check out the Indiegogo page to learn more about the issue of plastic pollution and how Mister Timbuktu is fighting the good fight with its activewear.