Clever Octopus has embarked on a one-year endeavor to develop a self-sustaining program designed to create jobs for individuals facing barriers to employment. The initiative operates as a waste-based social enterprise with a mission to upcycle donated goods for resale while meeting social and environmental objectives, according to a presentation by Jen Lopez at the Intermountain Sustainability Summit.
The program targets participants including recent immigrants and refugees, people with mental health and developmental disabilities, and individuals with a history of addiction or incarceration. It also includes marginalized and resilient communities such as Native artists. Supported by Utah GOED, the project is modeled after the work of Cascade Alliance, which helps nonprofits transform discarded items into stable revenue streams and quality jobs.
Revenue from low-cost resale is intended to support initiatives to reduce poverty and develop high-paying jobs within the waste reuse sector. The enterprise provides skill-training to assist individuals in breaking out of the low-income and low-skill trap through dignifying experiences. A team of makers has been brought on to produce house-branded products using reclaimed materials.
Training is available for various tasks, including sewing, light manufacturing, and assembly. Products manufactured by the team include pet beds, pet toys, throw pillows, ottomans, clothing, dryer balls, tote bags, wax wraps, and ditty bags. The program encourages team members to pitch new product ideas that reclaim clean industrial discards received in quantity. Products are designed to be tested for production efficiency and sold at suggested retail prices that support paying artisans a living wage.
The initiative seeks to scale its pilot phase into a self-sufficient community enterprise that creates jobs through the upcycling of donated materials.
