Waterhaul is a social enterprise based in Cornwall, England. They take plastic fishing nets from the ocean and transform them into useful and good-looking products. They support circular economy principles by turning waste into a resource.
Their products include glass frames and sunglasses, fishing knives, and ocean clean-up gear. They even have a litter picker made using discarded masks.
It’s estimated that 46% of the plastic (by weight) in the oceanic gyres is made up of discarded fishing gear. This plastic waste stays in the ocean for many hundreds of years, where marine life can get tangled in it, and it can damage ocean habitats.
Intercepted from oceans,
Waterhaul
Redesigned for adventure.
They are turning problems into solutions by using the discarded plastic fishing nets to make their sunglasses and other products.
They use mechanical recycling to process the nets once collected. The nets are cleaned, contaminants removed, and then they are shredded and separated. The fibers are extruded into pellets, and the pellets are used in injection molding to form the sunglass frames. This process is completed in Italy, and then the final steps of putting in the lens and finishing the frame are done by hand in Cornwall.
Waterhaul: Recycled Materials
Waterhaul uses recycled polypropylene and nylon fishing gear collected from the ocean to create their products. The sunglass frames are 100% recycled fishing nets. They also use recycled face masks to make their litter pickers for ocean clean-ups.
Closing the Loop
With a strong belief in the extended producer responsibility, Waterhaul wants to be fully accountable for every piece of recycled plastic they produce. Their products are built to last, but they understand this doesn’t mean they will last forever. They offer a lifetime warranty that means whenever your sunglasses reach the end of life, you will be able to return them to Waterhaul, and they will repair or replace them free of charge (excluding shipping).
That’s quite an offer.
Sunglasses that can’t be repaired go straight back into their closed-loop recycling system along with the waste fishing nets.
Other Kudos
- Waterhaul are working with Iberian fishermen to provide better options for the disposal of their old gear. Creating incentivised net amnesty programmes to help capture the waste. By providing free net collection facilities they are helping to reduce landfill fees and decrease the number of nets discarded in the ocean.
- A lifetime warranty is offered on all products.
- Their packaging supply chain is free from single-use plastic.
- They run educational workshops for schools, community groups or companies. Providing education on the issues of ghost nets and plastic pollution in the ocean with a focus on solutions. Check their page here if you are interested.
Recycled Products
