Q&A: SWIMWEAR MADE FROM OCEAN ‘GHOST GEAR’
A new range of swimwear could help to save our oceans and the animals that call it home. We chat to George White from World Animal Protection, Paul Strike from Fourth Element….
What inspired the creation of Ocean Positive Swimwear made from ‘ghost gear’?
Paul Strike co-founder of Fourth Element: The OceanPositive range is a statement of intent, to do something meaningful to benefit the environment that we love and feel compelled to protect. We also wanted to address a requirement among our customers including ourselves, for a practical product that is comfortable under a wetsuit yet looks great as beachwear. (See: https://fourthelement.com/oceanpositive/)
What are the issues that this range is helping to address?
George White from World Animal Protection: Every year 640,000 tonnes of lost or discarded fishing gear, or ghost gear, enters the sea and injures, traps and kills more than 100,000 marine animals. World Animal Protection created the Global Ghost Gear (GGGI) Initiative to tackle this issue and the swimwear is just one of the ideas that the members have created.
What does the Global Ghost Gear Initiative do?
George White from World Animal Protection: GGGI members include businesses, organisations, individuals and government departments committed to tackling the issue of ghost gear. The group aims to improve the health of marine ecosystems, protect marine animals, and safeguard human health and livelihoods.
Where are the nets and other ‘ghost gear’ sourced from?
Paul Strike co-founder of Fourth Element: The OceanPositive Swimwear line by Fourth Element uses ECONYL® – recycled Nylon from ghost gear, in its bikinis, swimsuits and beachwear. Teams of divers and fishermen all over the world reclaim these nets, often working in extremely dangerous conditions. The nets are then recycled into ECONYL® before being knitted into Lycra® fabric for the OceanPositive swimwear.
World Animal Protection supports the work of volunteer divers including Fathoms Free, Neptune’s Army of Rubbish Cleaners and Ghost Fishing UK, who retrieve and recycle ghost gear from the ocean.
Swimwear needs to be fashionable and functional – how does this recycled fabric compare to the more usual swimwear fabrics?
Paul Strike co-founder of Fourth Element: The OceanPositive Fabric looks, feels and lasts in the same way as any other high quality swimwear fabric. The ECONYL® yarn is almost indistinguishable from virgin nylon, even down to the microscopic level and the difference in performance of the fabric is predominantly determined by the other yarns in the fabric. In this case, a blend of Lycra® Xtralife (22%), gives the swimwear excellent comfort and outstanding UV and Chlorine resistance.
What next for the Global Ghost Gear Initiative?
George White from World Animal Protection: The Global Ghost Gear Initiative will continue to lead the global fight against the ghost gear crisis – driving research, working with industry and supporting on-the-ground work to remove ghost gear from the sea and find creative ways to give it new life.
Where can we buy/find out more in UK?
You can find out more and buy them on the FatFace site here, or for the complete range, at the fourth element site, and find out more about the issue of ghost gear on the World Animal Protection site here and GGGI here.