United Kingdom-based Waterhaul has launched a range of eyewear products made from 100% recycled fishing nets.
The range is to highlight the plight of ghost nets in our ocean, with every year seeing 640,000 tons of nets thrown in the ocean. Studies of plastic accumulating in oceanic gyres have shown that 46% of it by weight is discarded fishing equipment.
According to Waterhaul Founder Harry Dennis:
“Throughout my travels; surfing, diving and exploring, discarded fishing gear was a ubiquitous sight on every strandline from the Coral Triangle to Norway’s arctic circle. I thought that there must be a way to redesign the systems causing this problem. Waterhaul’s mission is to turn this waste into a resource. Fishing nets are made from incredibly high-quality plastics – they’re an obvious choice for recycling. We want to create demand for this unique material, so nets don’t end up abandoned in our oceans.”
The eyewear is available in two models: the Kynance and Fitzroy, and both will retail for £65/~$85/~€75. To ensure that none of their products ever enter a landfill, Waterhaul will offer to buy back old or damaged frames and recycle them.
The company’s mission is self-evident in its name, with the term Waterhaul originating with Newfoundland Cod fishermen as a term used to describe hauling in a net with no fish in it.
You can find out more information here.
