The Ocean
Discovery Collection from The Other Guy, a Finnish firm, features garments
created using deadly plastic collected from the sea by the charity Aquafil
The world's
first underwear made
from discarded fishnets and ocean junk could help save sea turtles and whales from
the brink of extinction.
According to WWF,
more than six million tonnes of plastic is dumped in the sea every year, posing
a serious threat to critically-endangered marine life.
In addition, World
Animal Protection says entanglement in ‘ghost’ fishing gear
kills at least 136,000 seals, sea lions and large whales every
year.
An “inestimable”
number of birds, turtles, fish and other species are also injured and killed.
But since 2007, a
small portion of this deadly plastic has been collected by the charity Aquafil,
which is part of Healthy Seas, an international network to recover
abandoned fishing nets.
This waste plastic
is then transformed into Econyl, a sustainable regenerated yarn that took
Aquafil four years to develop, at a cost of €25m (£22.26m).
It is now used in
Finnish firm, The Other Danish Guy’s Ocean Discovery Collection.
The firm was
founded by three Finns – Tommi Lähde, Harri Nikkanen and Kimmo Korhonen – and
its first goal was to create the ‘world’s most comfortable underwear’.
But the latest
range stemmed from a desire to change the world.
Lähde explained:
“I personally have very strong connection to the sea. I was basically born
there, as my father is a sea captain.
“I still can
remember time when the water in Baltic Sea was so clear you could see a coin in
15 meters deep. Nowadays I can't see my arm’s length.
“Even if the
problem in the Baltic Sea is different than in oceans, there are problems
because of people's negligence.
“As I began
this underwear brand
and found out the best and most comfortable material is nylon, I started
immediately the search for recycled nylon yarn, specially made from ocean
garbage.
“We aren’t just about making the world's most
comfortable boxers and trunks – although we do that well.
“We want to change
the world for the better – and basically every good thing in life starts with
decent underwear.
“That is why we
wear our nicest underwear in
the most important occasions like weddings, job interviews, parties and
graduation. No matter how loud the world rumbles, nothing can undermine an
individual who's wearing a piece of decent underwear.
“Many people have doubts
whether a tiny brand like us can really make a difference. But I feel confident
that we can start this movement and make it huge.
“After launching
on Indiegogo we were 100 per cent funded within less than 48 hours, which shows
there are people who care.
“Everything in our Ocean Discovery collection
is made from regenerated nylon that originates from ocean plastic waste, such
as discarded fishing nets.”
Chiara Vitali,
campaigns manager at World Animal Protection UK, added: “Ghost gear is a huge
concern with around 640,000 tonnes of lost or abandoned fishing equipment
entering the world’s oceans every year.
“Given that some
of this equipment is durable enough to last for up to 600 years, the threat it
poses is immense.
“The fashion
industry can definitely help showcase and support solutions to the issue.
“The durability of these nylon nets and lines,
which makes them such a danger to marine wildlife, is an excellent quality for
clothing.
“Given its high
profile, the fashion industry could truly become an ambassador for some really
exciting solutions to this grave issue.”
The Other Danish
Guy’s underwear was
listed on crowdfunding site Indiegogo earlier this year and has raised over
£35,000 so far, more than double its target.
Backers can still
join the campaign and buy their own pair of eco-undies at Indiegogo .
The fishing industry
accounts for 10 per cent of ocean junk – most of which is nets and fishing gear
lost or thrown away into the sea.
These ‘ghost nets’
continue trapping fish for many decades and, according to the NOAA Fisheries,
an average of 11 large whales –
including blue and humpback – get entangled along the US coast every year.
But in 2015,
61 whales were
reported entangled off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California – the
highest annual total since the group started keeping records in 1982.
North Atlantic
right whales frequently
fall victim to discarded nets, and there are now fewer than 500 of the 45-tonne
creatures left in the world.
As well as being
slaughtered for their eggs, meat, skin and shells, sea turtles also face the
threat of an estimated 640,000 tons of ghost nets in the Atlantic, Indian and
Pacific Oceans.
CEO Lähde added:
“I hate ‘throwawayism’. Disposable culture and fast fashion is damaging to the
environment and the economy.
“According to the
Environmental Protection Agency, 15.1 million tons of textile waste is
generated yearly, of which 12.8 million tons were discarded.
“There is a myriad
of environmental problems which even some of the most powerful people in the
world ignore. And then there are people who only want to talk about those.
“We decided to do
something about it. Hope is not a strategy and we will make all of our future
products from materials that are sustainable and eco-friendly.”
As well as fishing nets
(spent fish farming nets and ghost fishing nets),
it also uses old nylon carpets, industrial plastic waste, yarn discards, and
other fabric scraps to create its underpants.
The Ocean
Discovery range, made with Econyl yarn, originated as a concept project, but
after successful tests with customers moved into production, and will be
available to buy in August 2017.
FROM THE DESK OF ANIMAL RIGHTS WRITERS
ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/ghost-fishing-gear-ocean-junk-11127777
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