WORLD OCEANS DAY
22million kg of plastics enters our oceans every day. It’s a pretty scary figure when you think of the amount of plastic that is. Now, many people may not realise how important the ocean is not only for our livelihood but also for the planet. The ocean creates life for millions of sea creatures as well as providing oxygen for every breath we take. World Oceans Day, marked on the 8th of June every year, is a day of celebration for the waters that line the earth’s surface, but it’s also a day to take action to keep the oceans alive. In this edit of TALA Talks, we’ve partnered with Ocean Bottle, the world’s most needed reusable bottle provider, to explain the importance of World Oceans Day and how you can get involved in the blue process!
THE IMPACT
It can be difficult to understand the scale at which we rely on the ocean for climate regulation but there is simplicity in the steps we can take to improve ocean health. World Oceans Day calls us all to play a part in living sustainably and stopping plastic pollution in order to save the oceans. At TALA, we will always strive to use the most sustainable and ethically sourced materials, whether that be sustainable yarns and/or supporting ethical supply chains. Our Fibre Filter Bag prevents even the tiniest of microfibres from being released from fabrics during the washing process which in turn prevents them from entering our oceans. One of the greatest threats to our ocean is not from plastic straws- which make up about 0.03% of plastic entering our oceans- but fishing nets. Commercial fishing and plastic pollution are destroying our oceans, and Ocean Bottle has defined their positive impact through their reusable bottle, each of which collects 1000 ocean-bound plastic bottles.
ABOUT OCEAN BOTTLE
Ocean Bottle provides multicoloured bottles that keep your hot drinks hot and your cold drinks cold - the absolute dream. Each bottle funds the collection of 11.4kg plastic and since launch, they have collected over 1.6 million kg of ocean-bound plastic to manage their impact and feed life back to the oceans. We, at TALA, and Ocean Bottle pride ourselves on transparency throughout our respective supply chains because we believe that you should know the impact of your shopping habits and lifestyle choices on the environment. Currently operating in countries such as Indonesia, Haiti and Egypt, their aim towards global impact fights the war on single-use plastic every day whilst transforming the lives of less fortunate communities.
THE PLASTIC PROCESS
Ocean Bottle partners with Plastic Bank, an organisation that helps impoverished communities through the plastic collection. Each bottle sold provides the funds for local workers to collect plastic who can then exchange it for money, healthcare, tech products or tuition via blockchain technology through their local plastic bank, creating a long term solution for plastic pollution. Any plastic collected is then recycled into new materials to create new products - and that is what you call a circular yet sustainable economy.
We are often unaware of our daily impact on the marine ecosystems but there’s no time like the present to change our ways for the greater good! It doesn’t matter how close or far you are to the ocean; every little step we take really does help. Simple swaps can help us make a difference and here are some of our tips:
- Stopping single plastic use e.g. packaging, plastic bottles etc.
- Be cautious of your seafood shopping decisions - buy ethically sourced products
- Donate to ocean-based charities
- Beach cleans! If you're by the beach, why not grab a few friends to get involved in keeping litter our of our oceans and make a day of it!
- Get to know your reusable product options e.g. water bottles (we heard Ocean Bottle is pretty good! 😉)
- Reduce your carbon footprint - take a walk rather than a tax, keep your energy usage at a minimum and don't forget to turn off the tap!
Every day should be World Oceans Day, so let’s shop consciously, live sustainably and look after the blue planet together. Check out our tips at @wearetala for more info!