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Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Fashion Can’t Solve the Ocean Plastic Problem

Brands are pumping out millions of shoes, bags and shirts made with plastic they say was rescued from the world’s oceans and beaches. But the environmental impact is hard to measure and some experts say the industry is doing more harm than good.
Plastic Water Bottle Floating in Pacific Ocean, Santa Monica, California, USA (Photo by: Citizen of the Planet/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Of all of the sectors to use recycled plastic or ocean bound-plastic, the textile industry is probably the last place you want to put it. Getty Images (UniversalImagesGroup)

A decade ago, most discourse around marine litter involved turtles ensnared by six-pack rings and dead seabirds with plastic spilling from their bellies. Now, “ocean plastic” is the fashionable term. You can find bits of old soda bottles and fishing nets in sneakers from Sperry, handbags from Rothy’s, bikinis from Reformation, sunglasses from Norton Point, leggings from Girlfriend Collective and trench coats from Burberry. By the end of next year, Prada plans to phase out virgin nylon in favour of “regenerated” Re-Nylon, made in part from reclaimed fishing nets.

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