Creating change, island by island

Each pair of sunglasses features the coordinates of a specific spot on the globe. Photo courtesy of Parley for the Oceans

by Jade French

When you picture luxury eyewear, what do you see? Flashes of gold, logo in the top corner, signature print... Well, how about a collection made from marine plastic debris and reclaimed fishing nets? The sustainable cause and luxury branding are ever more hand-in-hand these days — from Stella McCartney’s vegan mushroom leather to Vivienne Westwood’s use of renewable energy — but few have the continued social mission behind them that Parley for the Oceans does.

Founded in 2012, Parley for the Oceans collaborates with artists, musicians, actors, filmmakers, fashion designers, brands, and more to raise awareness about the beauty and fragility of the oceans.  

Their latest endeavor is Clean Waves, an exclusive capsule collection of sunglasses by musician M.I.A. who has a track record in using her reach to educate on environmental issues. From releasing merch designs for free for people to print at home to partnering with H&M on ‘World Recycle Week’, she has made eco campaigning a priority.  

Plastic waste is sorted by colour, washed, flaked and compounded. Photo courtesy of Parley for the Oceans

These glasses are made from recycled plastic — and there’s a lot of work that happens behind the scenes to make them wearable. First, the Parley Global Cleanup Network collects the plastic waste, sending it to manufacturing partners to sort by colour and to wash, flake and compound the material. Working with scientists in green chemistry, Parley can take the polyamide, HDPE and PP elements and transform them into new items. As a final touch, the frames also show the GPS coordinates of the spot on the globe that you’re helping to protect.   

It’s also great to see that 100% of the proceeds go to protect remote island nations from the plastic washing up on their shores, destroying coral reefs and protected ecosystems. The money raised goes towards performing cleanups, education, and developing solutions in collaboration with local communities.

As founder and CEO of Parley for the Oceans Cyrill Gutsch put it: "Plastic is everywhere — it’s a design failure that harms sea life and human health. While we can’t phase it out overnight, we can stop making more". Creating new products from old plastic is just one step in the right direction.