Following the launch of its Ecolast swimwear, made in part from ocean waste, Zoggs has partnered with not-for-profit organisation Healthy Seas. The Healthy Seas initiative has a mission to protect the oceans and marine life by collecting abandoned fishing nets. These are then transformed by Aquafil into ECONYL yarn to create sustainable products.
Working with divers, schools, NGOs and governments, Healthy Seas is responsible for the retrieval of ghost fishing nets, raising awareness of the environmental damage these nets cause. It’s estimated that 640,000 tons of fishing equipment is discarded in our oceans every year, each taking hundreds of years to decompose. The Healthy Seas initiative also collaborates with fishermen, fish farms and local communities to prevent these nets ending up in the sea by helping to source responsible solutions.
Since the ‘Healthy Seas, a Journey from Waste to Wear’ initiative was launched in 2013, divers and fishermen have collected over 375,000 kilograms of fishing nets.
The recovered fishing nets are cleaned of foreign materials and prepared for regeneration by Aquafil. The nylon in these nets is then turned into a raw material (with other debris such as industrial waste and carpet) and transformed into ECONYL yarn by Aquafil. Along with Zoggs Ecolast swimwear, ECONYL yarn can be used to create new products such as underwear, socks and carpet.
A release from Zoggs explained… ‘At Zoggs, we’re committed to doing what we can to protect our oceans and have cleaner seas. We’ll be donating 10% of our Ecolast swimwear profits to the Healthy Seas initiative. Our partnership will also include working together on other initiatives such as running beach cleans, supporting conservation events and even joining Healthy Seas on some of their dives.’
Mark Hammersley, CEO at Zoggs International said “As a brand, it’s our responsibility to help tackle environmental issues such as the health of our oceans. We’re passionate about making a difference and look forward to working in partnership with Healthy Seas to protect our world for the future.”
Veronika Mikos, Project Coordinator at Healthy Seas added, “It is wonderful to see more and more lifestyle companies actively caring for the ocean. We couldn’t be prouder to observe this growing movement and to welcome Zoggs among our list of partners. Together, we can do so much more!”