Abandoned fishing gear and nets are the most common and also the most lethal forms of plastic in our ocean.

In a phenomenon known as ‘ghost fishing’, the entangled and trapped marine life will attract more species, resulting in an ongoing loop of catches . As these discarded nets are produced from plastic, they will not degrade, persisting in the ocean to catch and kill marine life indefinitely.

Waterhaul developed a mechanical recycling solution to process various forms of end-of-life fishing gear, and produced their first pair of sunglasses in 2018.  

The properties which make ghost gear such a threat in our oceans; the size and abundance of net, the quality of the high-strength polymers used, and the urgency to remove the plastic from harms way, all make fishing nets a desirable recycling resource. And as we suspected, fishing nets durable enough to last 500 years in ocean make for super-strong sunglasses frames.  

Waterhaul utilise the strongest form of plastic in our oceans to produce exceptionally sustainable, recycled eyewear. Eyewear that meets the technical demands of adventure, ocean-exposure and UV protection, but also act as ‘symbols of change’ for our oceans.

Waterhaul sunglasses frames last you a lifetime, because they are made from nets that would last decades in the ocean.