Estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic ends up in water ways of the world every year – that’s the equivalent of 15 grocery bags filled with plastic for every meter of coastline in the world. We decided to collaborate with Waste Free Oceans to raise awareness on the importance of this topic and, together, preserve our oceans.
Waste Free Oceans (WFO) is a Brussels based public-private partnership NGO committed to preventing and fighting (marine) litter.
WFO has organised over 20 remediation actions from rivers, lakes, seas and oceans, thanks to the help of dedicated fishermen and industry partners around the world. Several clean-ups are also planned for 2018. Using specially designed trash catchers attached to their boats, fishermen can collect between two and eight tonnes of marine litter on each journey. Not only has this presented a great achievement in the fight against marine pollution, but it also offers fisherman an added sense of accomplishment and recognition.
Once the plastic is collected, the next step is to find creative ways to reuse it. There is no surprise that many companies have started using recycled plastic – including fishing nets or anything that may end up in landfill – to offer consumers more sustainable circular products. By connecting businesses with a trusted network of recyclers, converters and garment producers, WFO enables them to create innovative products that meet the highest standards of quality and safety, while contributing to a better future for our planet.
We support this initiative by donating 2% of proceeds from watches sold to WFO, as well as lending our creative team’s expertise to their branding transformation. Through volunteering and collaboration, our goal is to raise awareness on the importance of protecting our oceans by removing a meaningful amount of plastic from the environment. We will start this year by financing a remediation action in the Azores and the Mediterranean during summer 2018. Moreover, we are currently leveraging the expertise of WFO, working together on a bracelet for our next collection that will be made entirely from ocean plastic.
Baume strongly believe that business can be a positive force for good and we are confident in the power of a partnership to achieve great things. We still have so much work to do to achieve our goals, but we also ask you to do your part by thinking of ways to reduce the plastic overconsumption and better close the material loops by using recycled plastic.
We believe that we can generate a positive impact by placing the human being and the environment at the centre of our products, while always having in mind that we want to do great things for a better tomorrow.
Words by Gabriela Rebolledo, BAUME
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