Our oceans are full — not with fish, but with plastic junk.
It’s estimated that 640,000 tons of fishing nets and gear pollute our oceans every year. That weight can be a bit amorphous, so consider that things like a vintage Volkswagon Beetle, a make giraffe, a great white, and a live Oak tree all can weigh one ton. Now, multiple that by 640,000. That is a lot of junk.
We know that our oceans are filling with plastic. From the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an eyesore too out of sight to cause many people the worry it should, to the micro and nanoplastics, marine life is threatened by all this junk. They either get entangled in it, causing them harm or resulting in strangulation and death. In other cases, they ingest plastic debris, which threatens them in a variety of ways. Plastic and its chemicals have been shown to reduce kidney function and reduce reproductive health. Some plastics fill the stomachs of animals, tricking them into thinking they’re full and stopping their feeding. Others end up piercing internal organs.
All this means not only our oceans, but our fish and marine life, are full of plastic as well.
In the case of commercial fishing, many of the nets used for fishing are made from plastics. And, like anything used in saltwater, they have a shelf life due to the harsh, deleterious effects of prolonged exposure to or submersion in the ocean. What’s a fisherman to do with a net once it’s past their useful life? To date, it’s estimated the fishing nets account for 10% of the plastic in our oceans. Preventing them from getting there would be a meaningful first step.
Enter the boys behind Bureo, who joined forces to collect used fishing nets and recycle them into products for our use.
The idea is simple: they have collection points where they collect used fishing nets. The nets are cleaned, and then turned into pellets, the same material that is used in injection molding. They then partner with mission-aligned companies to create products.
The response has been remarkable. To date, they estimate that they have collected and recycled 3,366,051 lbs of fishing nets. They have partnered with Costa del Mar sunglasses, Trek bikes, and Patagonia, and they have created skateboards and more — all from recycled plastics. They call this effort “NetPlus.”
The partnership with Costa hits a sweet spot with me: my background and my core beliefs rest in environmentalism, and I have a passion for fishing. Anything I can do to reduce my impact on the environment has my attention, and if it can improve or aid my fly fishing in some way — well, I’m in.
But, those who know me also know that I am particular — especially when it comes to things that fit on my head. I have a very large head circumference, which has made finding hats and sunglasses that fit comfortably quite challenging. I also am particular about polarized sunglasses. I take pride in spotting fish well, and generally obsess over keeping my glasses clean and scratch free so I can spot fish more reliably.
In this case, the glasses are a perfect match of all. Called the Untangled collection from the Costa x Buero partnership, I went for the Santiagos and I absolutely love them.
They fit my head perfectly. They wrap around the sides to prevent what they technically call “light leak” — and I just call a good gut feeling of lens clarity. They’re relatively light in weight on your face, and have a solid grip so they won’t fall off.
I wasn’t sure how they would look, being made from 97% recycled fishing nets (the other 3% Costa says is an additive designed to help you catch fish….kudos on the clever marketing copy!) but I was pleasantly surprised. They’re a matte dark slate black. And they’re not overly ornamented or designed. They just look, well, they just look really good in my opinion. I tried a prior generation of these, and like the a lot, lot more.
I was thinking about why I care so much about stuff like this. Yes, to be candid, Costa sent me a pair. But I don’t always review things I’m sent — if I don’t like it or believe in it, I send things back. I write about what moves me, or what I care about, and I care deeply about the long-term health of our oceans.
It may seems like a drop in the ocean, but if your next purchase can help clean up that ocean, why wouldn’t you? And, in putting them on, I don’t know — it just feels better.
Try them out, and check out all the videos below to learn more. It’s a feel good story — something we could use more of in this world.
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Untangle Our Oceans from Bureo Inc on Vimeo.
