Every pair of Planctons glasses is made from 100% ocean plastic collected by fishermen from the sea, along the coast and on islands in South East Asia. We use this to create our sustainable, eco-friendly and unique frames in Switzerland.
The source material for every single pair of Planctons glasses is a granulate developed by Tide Ocean. The Basel company specializes in extracting and processing ocean plastic and works with social enterprises in South East Asia to collect plastic waste that is threatening our oceans. Tide Ocean’s plastic fishermen have already upcycled over 15 million PET bottles.
With an important product such as eyewear, it makes particular sense to utilize a material that can be used sustainably, thereby avoiding any additional harm to our already beleaguered environment. Extracting plastic waste from the ocean closes the plastic production loop, thereby saving fossil fuels such as crude oil. In cooperation with the Swiss University of Applied Sciences in Rapperswil, Tide Ocean has found a solution for transforming plastic waste – transported using climate-neutral methods – into a valuable raw material. The material is TÜV tested and free of harmful substances.
Tide Ocean
After further processing, our production team
led by co-owner Dominik Gasser uses this sustainable raw material to produce our Planctons eyewear, creating individual, unique, eco-friendly frames.
The oceans are our planet’s largest ecosystem. Over 70% of the earth’s surface is covered in water. Millions of species are endangered as a result of over-fishing, pollution and climate change. David Hettich is only too aware of this:
“It not only affects large fish, sea birds and turtles, but above all the microorganisms that are responsible for oceanic respiration. These absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into carbon, which is returned to the ground. If the ocean becomes unbalanced, we humans will also have little chance of survival. It may sound banal, but it’s true: we can only protect what we know. And with this in mind, I aim to make the general public aware of the unique treasures of the world’s oceans and support projects like Planctons.” Planctons Ambassador and underwater photographer David Hettich
Not only is our ultralight Swiss plastic eyewear made from 100% recycled ocean plastic – our production process is also zero waste. All the plastic material is recycled. And when a pair of Planctons glasses reaches the end of its life, it can be returned and recycled yet again. We turn single-use plastic into sustainable consumer goods. And at the same time, we raise awareness of the fact that the oceans form the basis of all life and urgently need our protection.
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