The current global emphasis on disposable goods means that currently around 30% of plastics are reused and recycled, with the majority of the rest ending up in landfill and marine ecosystems several innovative approaches have been designed to tackle the problem.
Adidas have just announced the first pair of sports shoes with an upper made entirely from recycled oceanic waste. British designer Alexander Taylor's running shoe was unveiled during an event for Parley for the Oceans, an initiative that encourages the repurpose of waste.
Let me tell you, as a lover of turquoise and the ocean. They're pretty (Christmas present please mum).
This beautiful shoe is symbolic of the potential for things as ugly as waste, signifying a potential turning point in the plastic production industry:
''There is no reason why materials with similar characteristics to those that we use every day with conventional production processes cannot be simply replaced by ocean plastic materials," Taylor told dezeen magazine.
During the production process, the original ADIDAS manufacturing process was used, but the upper material was replaced with plastic fibre sourced from pellets and nets. The innovative material use has inspired other companies to follow suite. G-Star RAW in collaboration with Pharrell Williams have released a denim clothing collection with items made from recycled oceanic plastic waste.
One such company making a product ENTIRELY from oceanic plastic right now is Method, a small soap company. The company teamed up with beach clean up groups in Hawaii to use litter as their primary material to make the world's first bottles from plastic waste. This smart, environmentally conscious method of production demonstrates how simple design and innovation can tackle environmental problems.
David de Rothschild sailed 8000 nautical miles of the Pacific Ocean on The Plastiki Boat which was made out of 12,500 recycled water bottles. Through the showcasing of smarter design features his aim was to raise awareness and prompt consumers to view ''waste as a resource''.
Realistically, these companies are merely making symbolic gestures to sustainable production with the release of a few products which include small sections of garment made from recycled waste. But perhaps the real point here is the public traction that such well known companies are bringing and the huge spotlight with which they're highlighting the severity of plastic waste within the oceans.
This is a great idea, but I don't think its feasible at a scale required to clear up our oceans. What other practices could be introduced?
ReplyDeleteWell there have been several global and national initiatives aiming to reduce plastic pollution. A prime example here is the tax imposed in October in the UK on plastic bags which is following a world wide trend (I think about 20 other countries have similar bans).
ReplyDeleteTime will tell how effective legal initiatives will be in clearing up our oceans.
I think that global scale legislation is very different to enforce when it comes to the oceans, particularly given the increase in marine pollution after the Stockholm Conference of '72 explicitly called for its reduction.
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