8 million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans every year. This plastic affects us all: its in our water, our animals and in us. Something has to be done! Prevention and cleaning is the key to it as well as building up supply chains that allows to recycle plastic in an economical as well as sustainable manner and values plastic trash as the valuable source of resources as it is.
It all starts with collecting and catching plastic on coasts and rivers where this waste is bound to end up in the oceans. For this, we have teamed up with the NGO Plastics for Change, which has been fighting against plastic pollution in India for many years (see box below to learn more about PFC). This plastic waste is sorted, cleaned and finally shredded into flakes before new yarn and then a robust, durable fabric is woven from it, which we use to make our bags.
This recycling process not only helps keeping the oceans clean. It also helps reducing greenhouse gases and protecting our climate. Because: one ton of recycled plastic saves 2 tons of crude oil and up to 1.6 tons CO2, which would be incurred by the production of new plastic.
There is a lot of marketing buzz out there and the claims can be misleading. In addition, strict guidelines for material suppliers are necessary in order to rule out black sheep. To ensure that every part of the supply chain adheres to its obligation to comply with the standard, the entire value chain, from the first piece of plastic waste to the shipping of the product to our customers, is audited by an independent, neutral organization. Our promise to you and our planet is certified and controlled!
Estamos muy orgullosos de ser la primeraempresa de bolsosdel mundo con una cadena de suministro de plástico reciclado con destino al océano totalmente certificada y transparente.
If cost weren't an issue, much more plastic would be recycled on earth. We want to make the greatest possible positive impact for our oceans and the environment by recycling ocean plastic. There are two main goals for us:
1. We want to stop littering our oceans;
2. We want to offer a good product at a price that is affordable for everyone.
Only then will the amount of backpacks and bags sold create a real effect on our planet.
Plastic waste that is today lying on the banks of rivers or beaches and is relatively inexpensive to collect (this is the so-called "Ocean Bound Plastic"), will be on the ocean ground tomorrow, where it can only be recovered with a great deal of effort and expense. Isn’t it smarter to collect the waste today then?
In addition, plastic waste that has swam in the sea for a long time loses its quality due to environmental influences such as solar radiation or salt water and cannot be recycled so well for the production of a high-quality bag. That also drives up costs.
With our approach of using ocean bound plastic, we achieve ocean protection at lower costs. These lower costs we pass on to our customers in the form of lower sales prices.
Con este enfoque conseguimos nuestros objetivos 1 y 2 y, por tanto, el mayor impacto posible en nuestro planeta.
In the spirit of a regional approach that reduces transport routes and thus the emission of greenhouse gases, our clean-up has to be in India, where our backpacks and bags are manufactured.
For our clean-up on the delta of the Netravati River on the Indian Ocean, we have teamed up with the NGO Plastics for Change, which has been fighting against plastic pollution in India for many years.
There is a lot of marketing buzz out there and the claims can be misleading. In addition, strict guidelines for material suppliers are necessary in order to rule out black sheep. The NGO Zero Plastic Oceans has therefore created a certification standard that defines what "ocean plastic" or "ocean bound plastic" is and the conditions under which its recycling has positive impact on our oceans. In addition, Zero Plastic Oceans has established control standards (such as the traceability of the origin of plastic waste) along the entire supply chain. To ensure that every part of the supply chain adheres to its obligation to comply with the standard, the entire value chain, from the first piece of plastic waste to the shipping of the product to our customers, is audited. This is where Control Union comes into play, taking on this control as an independent, neutral organization.
We are proud to have built the world's first fully certified Ocean Bound Plastic supply chain for bags and backpacks.