What do you do when you see the world drowning in plastic waste? If you're our founder, Taylor Dubose, you start a company to do something about it.
SUS was born in 2020 from a simple but powerful idea: reuse what already exists to keep it out of landfills, oceans, and waterways. For Taylor, this wasn’t just a business concept—it was a childhood mission sparked by seeing overflowing junkyards and asking, "How can I help?".
"I was always, and still am, looking for ways to reduce the amount of waste we put into landfills and junkyards," Taylor explains. "Traveling as a kid really opened my eyes to how much material is just thrown away and forgotten. I knew early on I wanted to do something about it."
Today, we create sustainable bags, backpacks, and apparel using recycled materials—including plastic bottles that otherwise would have ended up polluting the planet. Each product is thoughtfully designed, made with certified materials (like GRS 4.0, BSCI, and more), and priced accessibly so that sustainability isn’t just a luxury.
"Affordability is one of our core values," Taylor says. "Everyone should be able to make choices that are better for the environment."
For Taylor, making sustainability accessible is deeply personal. Coming from an underserved community and being the child of a first-generation college graduate, he understands the barriers many people face.
"My background shaped everything," he shares. "I want people from all walks of life to feel empowered to live more sustainably without feeling priced out."
But our mission doesn’t stop at product development. SUS's Reborn Initiative is a program that collects used bags and backpacks, cleans or repairs them, and donates them to people in need. It’s a full-circle approach to waste reduction—honoring both the planet and people.
"It's about giving things a second life, not just materials but people too. Everyone deserves the dignity of quality gear."
SUS Founder, Taylor Dubose, with a Reborn Initiative donation bin inside Boston’s REI.
And when donated bags from the Reborn Initiative are too damaged to repair, we give them yet another chance through our Reality Collection. This upcycled line takes the good parts of worn-out bags, cleans them, and remakes them into something entirely new and wonderfully useful—right here in Massachusetts, USA. These one-of-a-kind products keep synthetic materials out of landfills and oceans, transforming waste into wallets, lanyards, keychains, travel pouches, toiletry bags, shoe bags, and tote bags. It's sustainability in action, and the Reality Collection will only continue to grow.
We also connect with the community by partnering with small businesses and refill stores, participating in local farmers markets, and offering consignment and low-order minimums to help small businesses stock our products.
"We're not just selling bags; we’re building a movement. Supporting local businesses and making sustainable options available to more communities is part of that."
SUS Founder, Taylor Dubose (center), with Masshole & Co. Pet Provisions owners, Noel (left) and CaSandra (right).
Taylor credits his optimism and resilience to athletics, culture, and family. "A healthy amount of optimism is almost a requirement in this work," he says. "Sometimes the challenges feel huge—just like going up against a stronger team in sports. But you stay in it, you stay positive, and you play to win."
In 2024 alone, SUS kept 16,412 plastic bottles worth of synthetic material out of the waste stream. And with new product launches, ongoing talks with mainstream retailers, and a refreshed website on the way, this is only the beginning.
Looking ahead, we’re focused on growth through partnerships, marketing, and product development. As Taylor puts it,
"We want to make recycling mean something again. Our goal is for SUS to become a recognized brand that people trust, not just for our products but for our purpose."
Whether it’s in a backpack, a market booth, or a grassroots donation drive, we’re proud to be building something bigger than ourselves—proving that sustainability, community, and entrepreneurship can go hand in hand.
