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Just as welcoming on casual summer evenings as in the winter. It’s handmade from water hyacinth – a plant that is harvested in tropical waterways to control its growth so it doesn’t clog the water flow.
Energy and Resources
Set the table with a little help from nature
SOARÉ place mats are made from dried water hyacinth, a beautiful but fast-growing plant that can clog waterways. By using water hyacinth to make products we help to naturally control their growth.
Material
What is water hyacinth?
Water hyacinth is a free-floating plant that spreads quickly in tropical waterways. When covering the surface completely, it blocks out sunlight which disrupts biodiversity. Also, local communities suffer as transportation routes are clogged. When harvested, biodiversity is restored and waterways are kept open. The plant itself becomes a resource too. The stalks make a flexible material that can be woven or braided into unique baskets, mats and other home furnishings.
Product story summary
Empowering people and communities
SOARÉ placemat is popular with our customers and loved by the people who make it too, because of the impact it has on their lives. It’s woven from water hyacinth that grows in the Mekong River in Vietnam. Harvesting, drying and weaving the plant are important to the people living along the river’s bank. It keeps the waterway passable, it preserves handicraft tradition and it earns the weavers extra money that can pay for new opportunities, like schooling.
