Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans is one of the greatest environmental problems of our time. This global issue can be fixed responsibly is plastics are recovered and recycled to create a product of a value from the plastic waste. The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch non-profit organisation, is developing innovative technologies to relieve oceans of plastic waste. It has now joined forces with designer Yves Béhar and his team at fuseproject in order to release a limited-edition sunglasses collection. The Ocean Cleanup Sunglasses are the first to be made from plastic waste recovered from the Great Pacific garbage patch (GPGP), an enormous cluster of marine waste in the north Pacific Ocean. Supporters can help finance the ocean’s clean-up by making a contribution of EUR/USD 199, which goes directly to the non-profit’s operations. From the sales proceeds, 100% will go to helping fund the clean-up work over the next year.
The glasses are made by Safilo, one of the leading companies in the eyewear industry, and have a look and feel that is intended to not only be reminiscent of the ocean but also convey where the glasses come from and what they protect. The plastic used can be traced back to the Great Pacific garbage patch, the case is made from the HDPE floater of the first ocean clean-up system and the carrying pouch is made of recycled PET bottles. All components, from the metal hinges to the polarised lenses, are designed in such a way that they can easily decompose and be recycled, if needed.
