More than just water, Jaden Smith shares his efforts

  • 18.09.2022
  • Kent Wired

With resounding applause, Jaden Smith took the stage at Kent State’s Cartwright Hall Friday night. Fielding questions from Bryton Ellis, a junior music major and the event’s moderator, Smith talked at length about his charity, JUSTWater, and several of his other sustainability initiatives at the event organized by Undergraduate Student Government.

Inspired at an early age by his teachers, Smith started JUSTWater to reduce the amount of plastic pollution in the water through renewable water bottles. While the initial rendition of the bottle was made with 80 percent renewable materials, innovations and improvements have brought the number of renewable materials to 92 percent. This initiative would later spawn 501CTHREE, a nonprofit company focused on providing sustainable water filters to those without access to clean water.

Within the same vein of renewability, Smith discussed his clothing brand MSFTS, which prioritizes thrifting clothes. The brand also does pop-up shops with screen printers that allow people to bring their own clothes and have MSFTS designs printed on them rather than purchasing a whole new piece of clothing.