Progress report for
Upcycle Ocean Plastic
Achievement at a glance
In it's first fully operational year, #tide has achieved the following:- 150 tons of ocean-bound plastic retrieved and processed.
- established it's own complete and fully transparent supply chain for 100% ocean-bound plastic in the Andaman Sea, Thailand. This is in collaboration with a Swiss non-profit and their social enterprise in Ranong, Thailand.
- several brands launched products made from #tide ocean material.
- #tide received a number of industry and design awards (Swiss Plastic Expo Award, Honkong International Business Award, Materialica Award)
Beneficiaries
Our operation is specifically designed to have beneficial impacts on three different levels:
1. The Product-Level: Through our upcycling we give plastic waste a second life and close the circle of plastic consumption. Increasing the recycling rate means waste is reduced, fossil resources are preserved, the emission of carbon dioxide is lessened.
2. The Social-Level: Through its close collaboration with social enterprises #tide provides training and jobs to the Moken, an ethnic minority whose traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle in the Andaman Sea is at risk due to overfishing and political pressure to settle down. We pay fair wages and help local communities to earn a living.
3. The Environment-Level: Through the collection of plastic waste, the ocean, coastal habitats and waterways get restored. That's the more obvious impact. But then there’s also the less immediate effect of contributing to and building up a resilient and locally run waste management infrastructure. Only when the plastic doesn’t even start its way to the ocean – because it’s reasonably disposed of, that is – the tab on plastic pollution will be closed definitively.
Actions
1. 150 tons of plastic waste have been turned into a granular material made from 100% ocean-bound plastic. Our product pipeline at the moment consists of more than 130 projects with over 90 globally renowned brands with an estimated volume of 1000 tons.2. Through the collaboration with the Jan&Oscar Foundation and the social enterprise in Ranong, more than 50 people found fairly payed work.
3. Besides our professional collection activities, we also organize community beach cleanups on a regular basis.