Here is a concise summary of the provided text:
**Title:** Transforming Flip-Flop Waste into Art at Ocean Sole in Nairobi, Kenya
**Summary:**
* Ocean Sole, a company in Nairobi, Kenya, collects discarded flip-flops (over 10 million to date) from beaches, streets, and landfills worldwide.
* A team of 90 employees, mostly former wood carvers, transform the flip-flops into intricate animal sculptures (e.g., hippos, giraffes, whales) using hand-carving techniques.
* The process involves washing, die-cutting, gluing, and carving the flip-flops, with some larger pieces taking up to three months to complete.
* The company tackles the massive global problem of flip-flop waste, which contributes significantly to ocean plastic pollution and harms marine life.
* Ocean Sole sells the artwork to shops, museums, and online platforms, with a portion of the proceeds potentially supporting environmental causes.
* Despite facing challenges like increased shipping costs, the company remains committed to upcycling flip-flop waste and promoting environmental conservation.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text, numbered and in short sentences:
1. **Company Overview**: Ocean Sole (also known as Ocean Soul) is a company based in Nairobi, Kenya, that carves flip-flops into art.
2. **Waste Collection**: The company has collected around 10 million sandals from beaches, streets, and landfills.
3. **Flip-Flop Production**: Over 1 billion flip-flops are made every year worldwide.
4. **Flip-Flop Durability**: Most flip-flops do not last long, contributing to a significant amount of waste.
5. **Waste Disposal**: Many flip-flops end up in landfills and waterways, with some areas having nearly a quarter of ocean plastic consisting of flip-flops.
6. **Historical Context**: The style of sandal being referred to is one of the oldest forms of footwear, dating back thousands of years.
7. **Material Shift**: The shift to cheaper plastic (foam flip-flops) occurred towards the end of the 20th century.
8. **Artist Background**: Many of Ocean Sole's artists previously worked with traditional Kenyan wood carvings, a craft that dwindled after Kenya scaled back logging in the early 2000s.
9. **Collection Process**: The company has a network of collectors who gather flip-flops from weekly beach cleanups in Kenya.
10. **Payment to Collectors**: Collectors are paid approximately 30 cents US per kilogram of flip-flops collected.
11. **Weekly Collection Volume**: About one ton of flip-flops (over 3,000 sandals) are brought in by collectors each week.
12. **Artisan Process**:
* Flip-flops are hand-washed and dried.
* Artists use templates for smaller pieces and a base (often old insulation) for larger sculptures.
* Non-toxic glue and hand-carving tools are used.
13. **Production Time**:
* Small and medium sculptures take around two hours to complete.
* Larger pieces can take up to three months to finish.
14. **Equipment Use**: The only machinery used is for sanding the sculptures.
15. **Product Range**: The company makes marine animals (e.g., turtles, whales), safari-inspired carvings (e.g., elephants, giraffes), and custom pieces.
16. **Best Sellers**: Safari-inspired carvings, particularly those with unique features like twisted necks and detailed eyelashes.
17. **Repurposing Waste**: Sandal shavings are repurposed into materials for mattresses donated to a refugee program in northern Kenya.
18. **Quality Control**: A thorough check is performed on each piece before shipping.
19. **Environmental Impact**: The plastic and rubber in flip-flops pose a unique danger to marine life, often being mistaken for food.
20. **Founder's Inspiration**: Julie Church, the conservationist founder, was inspired after seeing children making toys from discarded flip-flops on the Kenyan coastline in 1997.
21. **Annual Production**: The team collects and carves more than 700,000 flip-flops a year.
22. **Notable Client**: The Pope was presented with an elephant carving during his 2015 visit to Kenya.
23. **Sales Channels**: Pieces are sold to shops, museums, aquariums, zoos worldwide, online, and in specific locations like northeast Florida and Nairobi.
24. **Business Model Identification**: The founders recognized a niche and business opportunity in repurposing flip-flop waste.
25. **Challenges Faced**: The company faces challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, which have tripled shipping costs and quadrupled delivery times.
26. **Special Projects**: Ocean Sole occasionally takes on large projects, such as a life-size car made from 4,500 flip-flops for a dealership in Alabama, USA.
27. **Global Interest**: The company has received inquiries from countries like India, Indonesia, and Brazil interested in setting up similar operations to tackle their flip-flop waste issues.
28. **Sustainability Advantage**: Ocean Sole's model effectively utilizes the entire flip-flop, offering a significant advantage in sustainability.