{"id":27656,"title":"Reimagining Waste with Waterhaul","description":"We chat to Harry Dennis to talk turning fishing nets into sunglasses.","content":"<p><strong><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">We take a trip to Cornwall to meet Harry Dennis, founder of Waterhaul. We join him on a beach clean to learn about the problem of ocean plastic, and shifting attitudes towards materials considered waste.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><div data-youtube-video=\"\"><iframe class=\"youtube\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zWvEVmwDDoU\"><\/iframe><\/div><p><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">When Harry was a teenager, he developed an obsession with surfing. It was an adolescence spent exploring hidden beaches, searching secret surf spots, most at home with sand between his toes. This connection with the coastline would later become the motivation to solve one of nature\u2019s biggest challenges: plastic waste.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">Over a decade later, we meet Harry on a wide, sandy beach in his native Cornwall.\u00a0 \u201cI went to university in Aberystwyth on the Welsh Coast to study Marine Biology. I wanted to learn more about the ocean. I think partly that was just an excuse to be by the sea and be able to surf a little bit more.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/n102kqwyf5sqvqpwuwq9sokt437wih5zipnfwp9fsdf64bfx.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"n102kqwyf5sqvqpwuwq9sokt437wih5zipnfwp9fsdf64bfx.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/><\/p><h3><strong><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">Coastal guardianship<\/span><\/strong><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">As Harry spent more time around the ocean, he became aware of the huge challenges it faces. \u201cIt became impossible to ignore that our ocean is facing some real threats. As my relationship with the ocean grew, it developed o a point where I got a bit more out of actually protecting and trying to do something for the ocean rather than just it being kind of a one way street where I was just getting enjoyment out of the ocean.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">Like many that live by the coast, a connection with our outdoors spaces fosters this desire to give back to the places we care about, a kind of guardianship. It was the problem of plastic pollution, specifically ghost gear, that Harry wanted to address.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">Every year, around 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear is lost or discarded in our oceans.\u00a0 It becomes known as \u2018ghost gear\u2019, as it can continue to kill wildlife long after the fishing boats have left it behind. \u201cGhost gear is the most abundant type of plastic in the ocean. This plastic is designed with the sole purpose to catch and kill marine life. So when it becomes detached from a vessel, it still continues to do that. It can last in the ocean for 500 years, and it\u2019ll continue killing wildlife unless we can intercept and break that cycle.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">Harry spots a bright green colour sprouting from a sand dune. We approach and tug at the small piece of fishing net. It becomes clear it is merely the visible part of a much larger net buried beneath the dune. No matter how hard we pull, there\u2019s no chance of removing this piece. \u201cA lot of these dunes are full of plastic, totally embedded.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><br \/><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/pm3ivcvyohieyu7hmr0hjlf5y8s3cllq80oogmh4ro6zb7er.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"pm3ivcvyohieyu7hmr0hjlf5y8s3cllq80oogmh4ro6zb7er.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/><\/p><h3><strong><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">Making products from fishing nets<\/span><\/strong><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">In 2018, Harry founded Waterhaul, a social enterprise that developed a way to turn ghost gear into purposeful products, removing waste from the environment and turning it into a resource. The Waterhaul team receive tip-offs informing them where ghost gear has washed up, or they\u2019ll go on weekend expeditions following high-tides or a stormy period, to recover washed up fishing gear.<\/span><\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/uzyu0ty9rhiqhycgthdh2htqmc9q0cepazfn2k4cyifffbym.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"uzyu0ty9rhiqhycgthdh2htqmc9q0cepazfn2k4cyifffbym.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">The process then begins to turn the nets into a usable material. The nets are shredded down, so all that remains are small fibres. Once contaminants are removed, the fibres are melted down, and from that, plastic pellets are created. \u201cThis point is very exciting, because we've turned waste into something that has potential. These pellets can be moulded into a new form. Suddenly we've got something that's got value.\u201d<\/span><br \/><\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/ph3olgxs5bdzhxgg6ezlqu3ffhxp0vlxsjujyfg5afawhbne.png.png?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"ph3olgxs5bdzhxgg6ezlqu3ffhxp0vlxsjujyfg5afawhbne.png.png?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/><br \/><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/xeqemwmffaodtvfqnkfvvavlez0xerf5b0a7whoufia4prd6.png.png?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"xeqemwmffaodtvfqnkfvvavlez0xerf5b0a7whoufia4prd6.png.png?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">This innovation from Waterhaul deals with the legacy of the linear economy, where materials are taken from the environment to be made into products that end up in landfill, or in the case of ghost gear, the ocean. It reimagines the lifecycle of materials that are considered \u2018waste\u2019.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">\u201cThe problem lies with the attitudes about waste, and the way that we don't attribute any value to plastic once it\u2019s been used - it\u2019s seen as a throwaway material. I once heard someone say that if the plastic pollution problem was \u00a320 notes floating around the ocean, someone would have figured it out.\u201d<\/span><\/p><h3><strong><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">Sustainable sunglasses<\/span><\/strong><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">They began creating sunglasses, the flagship product for Waterhaul. The sunglasses tell a story of waste to resource, a journey of removing the most harmful and abundant ocean plastic and turning it into a purposeful product.<\/span><\/p><p><br \/><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/tjpejrawyj14bijvrwgasz6y4g3mhsk3rkai2sipbqveik22.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"tjpejrawyj14bijvrwgasz6y4g3mhsk3rkai2sipbqveik22.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">\u201cSunglasses are a visual item that can be a conversation starter. They embody this concept of turning something that was a problem into something functional and purposeful that\u2019s going to last a lifetime. They hopefully inspire you to get out, have some adventures, but also make those adventures purposeful and positive.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/zysvapqvtuiyfhlxwine3tpmvf5lixufemtsaoxchnty6cp7.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"zysvapqvtuiyfhlxwine3tpmvf5lixufemtsaoxchnty6cp7.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/><em><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">Beth wears the <\/span><\/em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/product\/freshwater-sunglasses\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\"><u>Freshwater model<\/u><\/span><\/em><\/a><em><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\"> in Compton Clay<\/span><\/em><\/p><p><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">Adventures help us connect with our natural spaces, like our coastlines. We\u2019ve worked in collaboration with Waterhaul to design sunglasses that inspire a message of purposeful adventure. They embody the sense of guardianship we have for the natural world, and the desire to leave it in a better state than we found it.<\/span><\/p><p><strong><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">Explore sustainable sunglasses, made from recycled fishing nets <\/span><\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/sustainable-sunglasses\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\"><u>here<\/u><\/span><\/strong><\/a><strong><span style=\"font-family:Lato, sans-serif;\">.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><p><br \/><\/p>","urlTitle":"reimagining-waste-with-waterhaul","url":"\/blog\/reimagining-waste-with-waterhaul\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/reimagining-waste-with-waterhaul\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/rapanuiclothing.com\/blog\/reimagining-waste-with-waterhaul\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1684421878,"updatedAt":1685025604,"publishedAt":1685025604,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":14,"name":"Rapanui"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/agje47ucgbdhrq9bkdmchlflbvxkljdacuawkdtm3kbjtlxv.jpeg?z=1.4&fx=0.51743766404415&fy=0.53406135908325","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/agje47ucgbdhrq9bkdmchlflbvxkljdacuawkdtm3kbjtlxv.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855&z=1.4&fx=0.51743766404415&fy=0.53406135908325","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/agje47ucgbdhrq9bkdmchlflbvxkljdacuawkdtm3kbjtlxv.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440&z=1.4&fx=0.51743766404415&fy=0.53406135908325"},"metaTitle":"Making sunglasses from fishing nets | Rapanui","metaDescription":"We chat to Harry Dennis of Waterhaul to learn about turning fishing nets into sunglasses.","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":17027,"title":"Inspired by nature? The biomimicry design process in fashion","url":"\/blog\/biomimicry-design-fashion-sustainability-circular-economy\/","urlTitle":"biomimicry-design-fashion-sustainability-circular-economy","division":14,"description":"Sometimes we do things and don't really talk about it, like when it comes to sustainability, materials, energy and better production systems - we just feel it's better to actually do it, not promote a pledge that we're aiming to do it.  But sharing what we're up to is one of the things we need to get a bit better at.  In this blog we wanted to show you a little bit of the design process, and how nature is a resource packed with design information and as omnipresent as the internet, but without the trolling or screen glare.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/v5sjbiduk7o0edglwd4m4rsmkealchne08wkxedo1smkwyfm.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/v5sjbiduk7o0edglwd4m4rsmkealchne08wkxedo1smkwyfm.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":16816,"title":"The Calm Within The Storm","url":"\/blog\/the-calm-within-the-storm\/","urlTitle":"the-calm-within-the-storm","division":14,"description":"We live in the information age and lots of positives come from that.  We can learn almost anything, contact almost anyone and build things online - ourselves - and bigger and faster.  Whether that is good or bad is up to us.  What is true is that when combined with attention stimulating technology, we\u2019re never far from information overload. And if this stimulates a chemical response in us; fear, joy, anxiety, gratification, outrage\u2026 well, that might not always be so positive. We have a seasalt flavour solution we would like to share.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/8cesrc3oz4iy4clistwxmfqxpouu0qcex6ypxqg4hmgngbww.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/8cesrc3oz4iy4clistwxmfqxpouu0qcex6ypxqg4hmgngbww.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":50034,"title":"The Ocean\u2019s Acid Test, and We\u2019re Failing","url":"\/blog\/the-oceans-acid-test-were-failing\/","urlTitle":"the-oceans-acid-test-were-failing","division":14,"description":"The health of the ocean is changing faster than we realised \u2014 and not just at the surface. A new study has found that ocean acidification, often called the \u201cevil twin\u201d of the climate crisis, has already crossed a critical threshold for planetary health.  Scientists now say we\u2019re \u201crunning out of time\u201d to protect marine ecosystems \u2014 with the deepest parts of the ocean showing the most dramatic signs of change","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ayfiuiy3gaciyslsgus1rsypzigfku0vcrjytk9dgr2k8tts.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ayfiuiy3gaciyslsgus1rsypzigfku0vcrjytk9dgr2k8tts.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":{"monitorCheckExcluded":"1"}}