Ocean pollution has reached a critical level. Each year, at least 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into the oceans and waterways. This plastic pollution accounts for 80% of all the marine debris present on the water's surface and in deep-sea sediments.1
At this rate, the world's oceans will contain one ton of plastic for every three tons of fish by 2025.2
The plastic that we find in our oceans is mainly from the land: stormwater and urban runoff, sewer overflows, inadequate waste management, illegal dumping, and even human and industrial activities (tourism, fishing, aquaculture).
While protocols and agreements have been put in place, recycling and the reuse of plastic products are currently the most effective solutions to fight sea pollution.
REPREVE® OUR OCEANTM Recycled Polyester
Increasingly valued for its REPREVE® fibres, a material made out of recycled plastic bottles, the UNIFI® company now offers a polyester made from plastic waste that might otherwise end up in our oceans. To do this, they collect plastic bottles that are less than 50 km from the coastline in developing countries and regions.
Broadly speaking, recycled fibres are an ideal solution for upgrading the waste that accumulates in our ecosystems and improving the environmental impact of our wardrobes.
Sources:
1 https://www.unenvironment.org/interactive/beat-plastic-pollution/
2 http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_New_Plastics_Economy.pdf
3 These results were calculated with the help of the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI) developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC). The Higg MSI analyzes the impact of materials over their entire life cycle (up until the materials are ready to be assembled into a product). The Higg MSI scores or the calculations of percentages provided here represent only one production step within the scope of the Higg MSI (for example, fibres or raw materials). They do not provide an overall view of the impacts involved in the production of materials. The SAC does not verify the results of users' custom materials. (Higg Materials Sustainability Index, 2020) https://msi.higg.org/page/msi-home
