Our Oceans' Eleventh Hour

Save the oceans: buy something. Seriously! Just one click of your mouse can help fund the important work of companies trying to clean our seas.

- Melinda Murphy

Just look at the gorgeous clothes on this page by Ecoalf. Stunning, right? Believe it or not, they’re made with recycled trash found in the ocean, such as plastic bottles and fishing nets. It’s all part of the company’s “Upcycling the Oceans” programme, started in Spain in 2015 and now in Thailand, too. The company takes old, ocean plastic and turns it into yarn. That means you can support Mother Earth and look fabulous doing it.

Ecoalf is just one of many amazing companies out there repurposing plastic found in the ocean to create cool stuff.

Why not welcome people to your home with a doormat out of old fishing nets or lobster ropes – which, incredibly, make up ten percent of ocean plastic. Just do a google search and you’ll find a wealth of choices. Need a skateboard? How about sunglasses? Buy either from Bureo, a company that uses recycled fishing nets for plastic from Chile. They also make Jenga Ocean, a version of the popular game made from fishing nets.

Maybe you need a little pampering. Why not take care of the Earth, too? Lush Cosmetics has teamed up with The Ocean Legacy Foundation, buying plastic found in the ocean to use to make containers for their products.

Or perhaps you want to trick out your house with a unique piece of furniture by Brodie Neill, who has created some stunning designs using recycled marine plastic.

Adidas has partnered with conservation organisation Parley for the Oceans to make athletic shoes designed by Stella McCartney out of recycled ocean plastic, the Parley Ultraboost X. Just think: with every step you take, you’re getting fit while helping out Dory and her friends!