MANILA, Philippines – In the event you’re a kayak touring firm within the Philippines, what occurs with decommissioned gear and kayaks that not serve their objective?
They go to waste — actually and figuratively.
Grappling with this environmental footprint, a bunch of kayak touring guides from Bohol determined the life of those boats wouldn’t finish there.
In 2019, they talked about upcycling. In 2020, they launched Challenge Nova.
Floating the concept
First, Challenge Nova sought out native Bohol artisans. With out earlier craft or design background, the organizers knew they couldn’t manufacture objects like handcrafted baggage and equipment themselves, so the objective was to collaborate on the manufacturing course of.
However the pandemic made them rethink their method.
“2020 gave us on a regular basis to deal with this initiative as our kayak touring enterprise shut,” Challenge Nova founder Rey Marcelo Donaire instructed Rappler. “Being a deeply community-based enterprise right here in Bohol, we determined to look inward.”
With tourism quickly shut down, they’d time to be taught new expertise and discover creating upcycled merchandise themselves.
“Actually, it was a little bit of a studying curve! However this method allowed us to construct a sustainable enterprise mannequin that not solely advantages the atmosphere by giving these kayaks a brand new life, but in addition helps our local people,” Donaire mentioned.
Challenge Nova’s staff additionally consists of members from individuals’s group ALIMANGA (Abatan Lincod Mangrove Growers Affiliation), which manages 100 hectares of mangrove forest. This group historically made their residing by way of fishing and harvesting nipa palms, which they weave into roof shingles.
Challenge Nova began working with them as kayak tour guides in 2012. “Studying to kayak was simple for them. They’re already water individuals. Our problem then was to develop them into correct, top-class kayak guides.”
Initially, the kayak touring operations may solely present supplemental revenue since operations weren’t common. However as they grew, the group was in a position to provide full-time work.
“The objective is sustainable employment that doesn’t rely upon tourism seasons or exterior elements — one thing they will depend on no matter what’s taking place within the broader financial system,” Donaire mentioned.
Their conventional nipa weaving expertise really grew to become helpful when Challenge Nova pivoted in 2020. As they began handcrafting decommissioned inflatable kayaks into baggage, “their craftsmanship ability lifted to a different degree.”
The staff: Better of boat worlds
How did the remainder of the staff be taught to design and stitch? “YouTube Uni was the trainer!” Donaire cheekily shared.
They began from zero. In 2019, they scouted artisans who labored with leather-based or rubber supplies, reasoning that kayak materials — rubber-like — could possibly be approached equally to leatherwork.
The primary months of the 2020 lockdown had been spent happening the rabbit gap of leather-crafting tutorials, bag-construction movies, and stitching strategies. The actual problem was adapting these strategies for his or her particular kayak supplies.
“What that did was hold our employees employed and engaged when tourism companies had been shutting down left and proper. Producing the luggage ourselves gave us jobs and a option to make a residing when the whole lot else had stopped,” he mentioned.
There are tons of upcycling initiatives taking place all over the place — from tarp baggage, kite-sail designs, plastic-wrapper tasks. They hadn’t come throughout anybody else doing kayaks, so this edge propelled Donaire to push by way of together with his sustainable imaginative and prescient.
“Utilizing kayaks means we are able to just about upcycle any waste materials. Creativeness units no limits. It’s modified how we take into consideration assets altogether — as an alternative of seeing discarded supplies as trash, we see them as uncooked supplies ready for a brand new objective. When you shift that mindset, the whole lot turns into chance,” he mentioned.
Challenge Nova’s objects look upcycled however brand-new; the haphazard really feel embodies the gritty, rugged look of the model that’s nonetheless trendy and purposeful: waterproof, sturdy, wearable for the trendy and adventurous traveler.
Sling baggage present comfort, card holders present glossy usability, and tote baggage mix wearability with sturdiness. Colours might be muted, however some are daring — shiny inexperienced for a sling bag, or darkish grey and black for the tote.
Challenge Nova’s artistic course of begins with creativeness. They have a look at sure bag sorts and picture whether or not it may be “Challenge Nova-ed.” Working as a bunch permits them to select up particular person strengths, quirks, and logos within the artistic course of.
“We method each bit, every bag mannequin considering: ‘How can this work for somebody heading to the workplace and somebody heading outdoor?’”
“We goal for that candy spot the place city performance meets out of doors sturdiness. It’s a bag you’ll be able to stroll into a gathering with, however it may completely deal with getting soaked in a sudden downpour or being thrown round throughout journey,” he mentioned.
“It has a glossy look that’s very best for every day use, however the waterproof kayak materials and bolstered stitching imply they will deal with no matter you throw at them. We’ve had patrons use them for the whole lot from every day commutes to golf programs to multi-day journey.”
Why kayaks, although?
Inflatable kayaks had been chosen for the corporate as a result of they’re packable and might be checked on flights. This made the enterprise mannequin simpler, since they paddle totally different websites throughout islands and manage journeys to distant provinces.
Nevertheless, like most inflatable gear, the adhesives that maintain them collectively begin deteriorating after 5-10 years. And due to harsh humidity and fixed publicity to UV and saltwater from business operations, adhesive is all the time the primary to go.
“We not often decommission kayaks due to materials degradation. This specific kayak cloth is extremely sturdy. It’s a semi-synthetic cloth welded between rubber layers. The corporate that makes it calls it a ‘inexperienced materials’ as a result of it has little or no plastic content material,” Donaire defined.
They might really final ceaselessly, he mentioned, if not commercially used. The material is designed to be fully waterproof and extremely sturdy; it has to face up to saltwater, UV rays, and bodily stress from being dragged throughout rocks and sand.
“After we rework them into baggage, those self same properties change into precisely what you need within the Philippines’ unpredictably moist climate and harsh solar. The fabric is of course weatherproof and tear-resistant,” he mentioned.
He shared that this course of achieves “some degree of circularity as an organization” — they’re closing the loop on their tools lifecycle as an alternative of passing the waste downside to another person or filling already overwhelmed landfills.
Like most upcycling initiatives, “reverse engineering” is required within the course of. The complicated, uncooked materials units the tone. It’s about first understanding its traits, then letting that information design.
The sourcing of discarded kayaks is simple, however breaking them down is without doubt one of the hardest elements of the method, Donaire shared.
“We will’t simply toss out the kayak and begin slicing. We have now to wash, disassemble, and punctiliously assess which elements work finest for particular designs. Initially, we tried utilizing any part, however over time we found which kayak elements work finest for various bag types or bag panels,” he defined.
Every bit is hand-stitched from begin to end. They punch holes into the powerful kayak materials and punctiliously sew it collectively. Hand-stitching is used, as a result of machines are too expensive and would displace a few of their employees. Effort and time apart, that is what makes each bit distinct and distinctive.
The model can be thought of cruelty-free, as a result of they don’t make the most of any animal pores and skin, disguise, or by-products (like leather-based, tusks, gelatin, or beeswax) in manufacturing.
Simply hold swimming
The tides had been tough for Challenge Nova’s pandemic beginnings. Donaire shared that he noticed the pressure of uncertainty confirmed on everybody’s faces when early challenges arose. However issue wasn’t new to them; the group weathered life collectively by way of the years.
“The 2013 earthquake, Hurricane Yolanda, the Abu Sayyaf scenario in Bohol in 2017. However 2020 felt totally different. The world felt prefer it was on a mad spin, and beginning a brand new enterprise added much more uncertainty,” Donaire mentioned.
“I completely understood when just a few members bailed within the early days of hatching the plan.”
Then Hurricane Rai hit. Bohol didn’t have energy for practically six months, however they had been really grateful they had been making baggage by hand. They might nonetheless work. The manufacturing studio grew to become an escape from the chaos. They usually weren’t simply making baggage throughout these weeks; they had been making cement blocks to assist repair group members’ houses.
When the whole lot settled and journey began once more, they emerged with new bag fashions and merchandise for the kayak excursions. However they realized relying solely on their kayak-tour clients wouldn’t be sustainable.
That’s once they began wanting into native product festivals in Manila, corresponding to ArteFino Honest in Rockwell, Makati Metropolis.
2025 is their third yr being a part of the Philippines’ largest artisanal truthful, with a HeArteFino grant to match — a milestone that small companies like Challenge Nova don’t take with no consideration. “In a manner, being accepted into this area validates that we’re not simply kayak guides no extra,” he mentioned.
“The reception we obtained was truthfully one thing we didn’t count on. Being a part of this group pushed our requirements to ranges we by no means imagined reaching. I suppose if you’re surrounded by unbelievable craftspeople and social enterprises, you naturally elevate your individual sport.”
“In 2023, once we had been the brand new children on the block, I feel we had been extra skeptical about ourselves than individuals had been with us. There was positively self-doubt and inner questioning — did we need to be right here? Are we proper to be on this area? Do our merchandise actually belong alongside these established manufacturers?”
They take each alternative to be taught and develop. They take heed to feedback and strategies and use festivals as a platform to share their story. And over time, it’s by no means actually gotten simple for them, however they’re up for it. The one factor they will do is put together, make their baggage higher, do the work, they usually know individuals will see it within the completed product.
“I nonetheless have a tough time relating this progress to our group again residence, as a result of even they will’t consider that individuals really purchase our upcycled stuff. Since becoming a member of ArteFino, our bag fashions have greater than doubled.”
Wanting flow-ard
Challenge Nova describes itself as a fair-trade enterprise, with its impression on the group concrete.
Apart from providing dignified wages (8-10% above the native minimal wage of Tagbilaran Metropolis) and job stability for his or her staff, Challenge Nova additionally creates packages that enhance private well-being: allotted hours through the workweek for health and train, free wholesome lunches all through the week, and incentive packages that give staff alternatives to journey outdoors the locality. This yr, they began a staff values formation program and monetary literacy coaching.
Challenge Nova’s month-to-month River ReBoot program helps their conventional livelihood as mangrove growers. They manage mangrove planting and river cleanups with numerous organizations throughout the province and area, serving to preserve 105 hectares of mangrove forest. It has opened doorways to high school organizations, native civic teams and different advocacy teams like Plastic Free Bohol to get entangled in conservation works.
“In all points, that is true collaboration. We see the group as companions, not contract staff.”
Now that Bohol is a UNESCO International Geopark, any growth must be guided by conservation and sustainability at its core. Improvement for the sake of growth is rarely sustainable, Donaire mentioned.
“What we’re advocating is financial progress that truly strengthens environmental safety reasonably than undermining it. When conservation turns into a viable supply of revenue for native communities, they change into the strongest guardians of their very own ecosystems,” he mentioned.
As of now, Challenge Nova is generally impartial; they aren’t working with different LGUs but apart from the native municipality for help.
“We spend quite a lot of time on our rivers, coasts and islands. A few of them distant. We see how a lot magnificence and variety we’ve, and we additionally see how a lot trash we’ve dumped in these locations the place it shouldn’t be,” Donaire shared.
Their work as kayak tour guides doesn’t cease on the water. With Challenge Nova, the impression they need to make has change into greater – it’s about shifting how individuals take into consideration assets and group.
“We’re proving that you simply don’t have to extract out of your atmosphere to make a residing — you’ll be able to construct prosperity by defending what you could have,” Donaire mentioned.
“Be sincere about your impression, take duty to your waste, and create alternatives that carry everybody up,” he added.
Donaire doesn’t need Challenge Nova to only be a “model” — he believes it must be a template and a motion. Most significantly, it’s a mindset: “Your waste is your alternative, your group is your power, and your atmosphere is your best asset.”
Work with nature, as an alternative of towards it. “Let’s do that, one bag at a time,” he mentioned. – Rappler.com
