#outerknown

Who: Jeanine Mason as Liz Ortecho What: Outerknown Station Jumpsuit in Natural - $178.00 Where: 3x01 “Hands“

OBX S2

Start using and supporting products made by recycled ocean plastics today!

A lot of what makes up being a true activist is putting your money where your mouth is. This is especially true when it comes to an essential issue like stopping the constant polluting of our oceans as soon as possible.

Obviously you could just donate as much money as possible to all the different ocean-saving causes as often as you can, but I also think there is something to be said for changing the products you buy as a consumer in the free market to accurately represent your morals and values. This is called being a “moral consumer” and by doing so you’re sending signals to the large corporations and brands of what sorts of things you deem acceptable.

For example, in this case by choosing to only buy plastic products that are recycled (specifically recycled from ocean plastics) you are sending clear messages to the companies/brands you support. You will only continue to do so if they put our ocean’s health before their profit margins. It is important to do this consistently from brand to brand as well as from issue to issue. This makes sure that all the hard-earned money you spend is only being spent on products you understand, support, and that are waste free to our oceans and our planet at large.

The following are five brands that use recycled plastic from our oceans to make wonderful environmentally conscious products:

1.      Adidas is the brand I want to start with, because it was reading about their latest pledge that inspired me to write this piece on behalf of Diamond Herpanacine. Adidas, who already sold well over a million pairs of shoes made from recycled ocean plastics in the last year, has pledged “Adidas is committed to using only recycled polyester in every product and in every application where a solution exists by 2024” in a recent press release. The company recently intercepted over 40 tons of plastic waste from beaches worldwide, in places like the Maldives, before it could reach the oceans. Then they use it to make their products moving forward. It is intentional actions like this by Adidas, combining demands from “moral consumers” with profit-based thinking, that turns recycling into “good business.” That will truly be the things that save our oceans moving forward. If every major company made a pledge similar to Adidas; to use recycled plastic and ocean recycled plastic rather than making new plastics and to do so whenever is applicable, then our oceans would be in a much better state than they are today by the time those pledges come to fruition. I say that without a doubt in my mind, so I give Adidas all the credit for their recent pledge and encourage companies to do even more of the same.

2.      Patagonia is a brand that’s pretty hard to forget when it comes to being environmentally conscious, especially when it comes to using recycled plastics in their products. It was the first outdoors retail brand to start producing fleece with recycled plastic bottles in 1993. They've continued to be a leader of the movement in the decades since. In recent years, the brand has been experimenting with used, discarded fishing nets and lines in their products. For example, Patagonia is releasing its new Stretch Rainbow Jackets using Econyl, 100% recycled nylon yarns which are in part made from discarded fishing nets. I think supporting innovation and ingenuity that’s based around not just profit but also the sustainability of our planet is essential to being better consumers going forward.

3.      4ocean is a brand that was created in direct response to what the two young founders witnessed on their first trip to India, specifically in Bali. They witnessed fisherman launching their vessels along a shoreline and into an ocean so covered with trash and pollution it was hardly identifiable as such. It was really so bad you couldn’t even see the water below at all in many places, only a sea of garbage. Fast-forward about two years and the two have built a company, branded as 4ocean, that has removed over four million pounds of trash from the ocean and its coastlines. The company makes bracelets out of the trash they collect, and pledge to pull a pound of additional plastic from our oceans and coastlines for each sale. They also make plastic-free reusable water bottles, with the same pledge, and consistently call on similar companies and brands to do the same.

4.      Method hand soap is a brand that is unique for a couple different reasons. First off, they claim to be the first brand to release their product in a plastic bottle made from entirely recycled ocean plastic. Secondly, Method soap is a hand soap that is 100% nontoxic, paraben-free, and completely biodegradable. They are a brand that consistently proves that when making a “green” brand you have to think about how it’s going to be “green” on every level – not just the packaging. Method is a brand that is conscious and consistently so, and that is something we should all continually aspire to be and look for in the brands and products we support.

5.      Outerknown is the brand I’d like to end things on today, not because of where or what they are currently as a company but rather what they could be. At the moment, Outerknown is like most other “environmentally conscious” clothing brands making fashionable clothes from recycled products, but I think they have potential. Outerknown’s clothes are literally made from recycled fishing nets and yet look as fashionable as something you’d see on a designer shelf. I think brands like this have the potential to turn the clothing industry on its head for the sake of our planet. That’s why I encourage you to support any clothing brand, like Outerknown, that’s using recycled products and willing to shake things up. It very well might be the future!

I learned a lot about which companies are truly putting in the work to help our oceans while writing this piece for Diamond Herpanacine. I hope you can use this information to make better educated choices about what brands you choose to support, based on your personal morals and the issues you care about. I, and all of us here at Diamond Herpanacine, encourage you to think critically about what sorts of behavior you find acceptable from companies whose products you buy, especially when our planet’s literal future hangs in the balance. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day.

World Oceans Day.

It is estimated by some experts that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish!