{"id":11145,"date":"2024-04-02T15:17:39","date_gmt":"2024-04-02T20:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1reason.com\/re\/from-the-beach-to-the-boardroom-unispaces-art-for-impact-program-partners-with-ngo-to-turn-50000-ocean-plastic-bags-into-office-art\/11145\/"},"modified":"2024-04-03T10:17:39","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T15:17:39","slug":"from-the-beach-to-the-boardroom-unispaces-art-for-impact-program-partners-with-ngo-to-turn-50000-ocean-plastic-bags-into-office-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1reason.com\/re\/from-the-beach-to-the-boardroom-unispaces-art-for-impact-program-partners-with-ngo-to-turn-50000-ocean-plastic-bags-into-office-art\/11145\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Beach to the Boardroom: Unispace’s ‘Art for Impact’ Program Partners with NGO to Turn 50,000 Ocean Plastic Bags into Office Art"},"content":{"rendered":"
In partnership with NGO Casa Congo and women\u2019s collective Las Tejedoras \u2018The Weavers\u2019. We helped design and produce 30 one-of-a-kind tapestries for global HQs across Europe through our Art for Impact (AFI) program. These unique textiles transformed 50,000 recycled plastic bags from coastal beaches in Nicaragua into works of art. From being showcased in Unispace studios throughout Europe to clients’ offices like Zoom and Kraft Heinz, these artworks are helping make a positive impact, and connecting employees to their business’ social purpose through physical space. Learn how we’re addressing climate change, social inequality, and economic development through AFI.”> \n <\/div>\n


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Helping clients create sustainable office spaces through impactful art. In partnership with NGO Casa Congo and women\u2019s collective Las Tejedoras \u2018The Weavers\u2019. We helped design and produce 30 one-of-a-kind tapestries for global HQs across Europe through our Art for Impact (AFI) program. These unique textiles transformed 50,000 recycled plastic bags from coastal beaches in Nicaragua into works of art. From being showcased in Unispace studios throughout Europe to clients’ offices like Zoom and Kraft Heinz, these artworks are helping make a positive impact, and connecting employees to their business’ social purpose through physical space. Learn how we’re addressing climate change, social inequality, and economic development through AFI.<\/h5>\n


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La Seine<\/p>\n

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La Seine is inspired by the iconic Parisian river near Unispace\u2019s Paris studio. Designed by Mathilde Lucas, Principal, Design.<\/figcaption>
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Delft Blauw rug<\/p>\n

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\n \"Delft
Delft Blauw rug, inspired by Dutch porcelain, was designed by Antonia Walmsley, Principal \u2013 Design in EMEA, who is based in Unispace\u2019s Amsterdam studio.<\/figcaption>
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Matterhorn rug<\/p>\n

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Matterhorn rug, displayed in and inspired by Unispace\u2019s Zurich studio location. Designed by Francois Lourme, Senior Associate, Design.<\/figcaption>
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NEW YORK, March 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In partnership with the NGO Casa Congo<\/a> and Nicaraguan women\u2019s collective Las Tejedoras<\/a>, Unispace\u2019s Art for Impact (AFI) program<\/a> has helped to design and produce 30 unique tapestries for the offices of more than 20 global brands, including Unispace clients Zoom, Kraft-Heinz, Ford, and Deckers Brands, along with its own studio locations across Europe. The one-of-a-kind tapestries were designed by Unispace and woven by Las Tejedoras using more than 50,000 recycled plastic bags that once littered the coastal areas in Nicaragua. Today, the art pieces serve as inspiration for individual and corporate action in environmental conservation and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB).<\/p>\n

A local collective of 17 women, Las Tejedoras has been crafting art from the waste on the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua since 2007. When they started, the beach was so overrun with plastic it was affecting tourism, the local economy, and posing a serious threat to marine species \u2013 specifically the turtles that use the beach for nesting. In 2018, Nicaraguan NGO Casa Congo, which is focused on climate change and local socio-economic development, began a collaboration with Las Tejedoras to provide pro-bono business tools and training to help the art collective expand the reach of their art worldwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cLas Tejedoras is a group of incredibly resilient women, and we wanted to find ways to enable them to take their vision and passion to the next level,\u201d said Nicholas Kaspareck, Co-Founder & CEO, Casa Congo. \u201cThat\u2019s where the partnership with Unispace came in. The more tapestries we produce and sell, the cleaner Nicaragua\u2019s environment is going to be, and the more opportunities we\u2019re creating for the local women.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unispace joined the fold in 2021, forming a partnership with both organizations to design an impact-driven product for the office sector through the firm\u2019s Art for Impact (AFI) program. AFI helps Unispace clients bring their organizational DEIB and culture stories to life through partnerships with local artists, creating bespoke art that builds lasting community impact and memorable workplace experiences for employees aligned with each company\u2019s goals and values.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy building relationships with community agencies like Las Tejedoras and Casa Congo, we are providing clients like Zoom a framework, the tools and thought partnership to harness who they are and who they aspire to be; ultimately manifesting their stories in the physical space to drive cultural change, and create rich new experiences for their people,\u201d said Chely Wright, Chief Diversity Officer, Unispace. \u201cAt the same time, this initiative promotes economic independence and social equity for the women of Las Tejedoras and a cleaner, safer environment for the turtle population in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Zoom\u2019s London office, one of Las Tejedoras bespoke art pieces adorns the wall. Made from 3,500 recycled plastic bags, it serves as a physical manifestation of the company\u2019s brand and core value of care, including caring for the planet and its communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn redesigning Zoom offices across EMEA, including our London Experience Center & Engagement Hub, it was a top priority to ensure our value of care \u2013 for the planet and our communities \u2013 was reflected in the physical space,\u201d said Izabella Lorenz, Global Real Estate & Workplace Strategy, Zoom. \u201cWe wanted to ensure our spaces serve as a venue for community, connection and inspiration, and our partnership with Casa Congo and Las Tejedoras \u2013 envisioned and enabled by Unispace \u2013 allowed us to do just that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Art for Impact\u2019s work with Las Tejedoras has now been recognized as a champion for sustainability within the office workplace sector with an award from The Sustainable Design Collective<\/a>, and the program has enabled the women of Las Tejedoras to better support their families, invest in higher education for their children, and improve their daily lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been a source of pride for us as Nicaraguan women to be able to protect our wildlife and natural habitat more broadly through our work,\u201d said Senelia del Socorro Vargas Sevilla, President of Las Tejedoras Cooperative. \u201cNot only have we helped to rid our beautiful coast of harmful plastic bags, but it has also provided me with a sense of greater purpose and means of income that I didn’t have before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about how the Unispace Art for Impact program helps connect companies with their community through DEIB-focused art here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About Unispace Group<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unispace Group is a global commercial strategy, design, and construction leader creating people-centric spaces with purpose across offices, life sciences facilities, hospitality and sports venues and retail spaces. Brands in the portfolio include experience design agency Downstream, laboratory fit-out specialist Unispace Life Sciences, and workplace design-build firm Unispace. Some of the biggest companies in the world are among its clients, including Hugo Boss, Biogen, Tata Consultancy Group, Boston Scientific, Orrick, and Las Vegas Raiders, to name a few. They have a presence across 25+ countries, and 800+ employees across the Americas, Asia, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.<\/p>\n

About Casa Congo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Casa Congo is a sustainability hub in El Astillero, Nicaragua, where local communities and international experts come together to create projects that address challenges in climate change, social inequality, and economic development. Casa Congo is supporting the growth of Las Tejedoras by providing seed funding, operational training, product design and developing a global marketplace to showcase their talent. Las Tejedoras, “The Weavers,\u201d are a collective of 17 women in El Astillero who transform recycled plastic bags into artworks and fashion accessories. Their motto is “1 bolsa meno, 1 tortuga mas” (1 less plastic bag, 1 more turtle).<\/p>\n

Caroline Thompson, Akrete
Email: caroline.thompson@akrete.com<\/a>
Phone: (847) 440-4831<\/p>\n

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/NewsRoom\/AttachmentNg\/61555907-6ae9-4755-8abf-1637874b621a<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/NewsRoom\/AttachmentNg\/89567485-6804-41d5-acd1-bfd0ea2358db<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/NewsRoom\/AttachmentNg\/c3fd0ebc-059a-4410-8d6a-2864fc927cf5<\/a><\/p>\n

A videoaccompanying this announcement is available at<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/NewsRoom\/AttachmentNg\/ab3e5b9c-e933-4b83-b533-319e12eade85<\/a><\/p>\n

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The collaboration produced 30 unique tapestries for the offices of Unispace clients like Zoom Video Communications, Inc.<\/p>\n

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