A Cornish social enterprise has launched a new range of eyewear produced from 100% recycled fishing nets with recyclable mineral glass optics.
At present there are two different styles in the inaugural collection: the 'Fitzroy' and the 'Kynance'. The former square frame suits both male and female medium to large faces, whilst the Kynance has been designed for male and female with small to medium sized faces.
Waterhaul - a term originating from Newfoundland cod fisheries, used to describe the act of hauling in an (empty) seine or trawl net absent of any catch
Waterhaul was founded by marine scientist Harry Dennis after he had noticed that "discarded fishing gear was a ubiquitous sight on every strandline from the Coral Triangle to Norway’s arctic circle. I thought that there must be a way to redesign the systems causing this problem." At present 640,000 tonnes of fishing nets are lost or discarded in the ocean on an annual basis. Fishing nets are made from incredibly high-quality plastics hence they are an obvious choice for recycling. Dennis is therefore collaborating with fishermen to provide an alternative to landfill or abandonment through incentivising net amnesty programmes. In addition the company is working with community groups and NGO’s to remove nets from Cornish beaches and seas. The nets are then washed, shredded and turned into pellets before they are moulded into Waterhaul’s innovative sunglasses frames.
We want to create demand for this unique material, so nets don’t end up abandoned in our oceans. Harry Dennis, Waterhaul
Waterhaul is operating a ‘circular economy’ system to ensure that their sunglasses do not ever end up in a landfill. In the event that your glasses break, send them back to Waterhaul. The item will then be washed, sorted, shredded and recycled into a new pair of sunglasses.