Cleaning The Oceans By Recycling Of Ghost Fishing Nets

Humans spend most of their lives on land, and their impact is not limited to land. Our wastes and deep sea fishing activities negatively impact the ocean ecosystem and Marine life. Although the ecosystem has the ability to heal itself, we know that this power is limited.

Worldwide, more than 30 million tons of plastic waste are thrown into the environment every year. In addition, more than 20 million tons of this waste end up in the ocean by being carried from land to rivers.

Now, we can find almost all types of plastic when we examine the oceans. More than 80% of this waste consists of nylon (PA), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and other non-degradable resin materials.

Ghost fishing nets, which take 600-800 years to decompose in nature, are among the major plastic pollutants. Fishing nets used in deep sea fishing and remaining at the bottom of the sea endanger the lives of sea turtles and other sea creatures.

We, at Özen, are a company that keeps recycling at the heart of sustainability, and we drew attention to recycled materials and our fabrics made of them in our previous newsletters.

In this newsletter, we would like to introduce you to our new qualities which are made of fibers produced by recycling ghost fishing nets. We produced new items with a blend of InResST® nylon fiber produced by recycling fishing nets.

Ocean Cleaner InResST®

Recycled nylon staple fiber products are obtained from ghost fishing nets used in deep-sea fishing activities which are left under the sea or found as wastes on beaches.

In addition, not only does recycling ghost fishing nets eliminate a major environmental threat, but also the recycled raw material supports our sustainability goals of no need to produce new polyester for textiles.

And, the performance of the resulting recycled fiber is very similar to virgin nylon and can be applied directly to any yarn and fabric.

What Does the Recycling Product InResST® Provide?

• It raises awareness about the danger of plastic wastes that threaten Marine ecology and Marine life and reduces the risks of waste.

• It supports the circular economy, dissolves the industrial closed loop, and turns it back into raw materials.

• It supports reducing carbon emissions and water usage by preventing the need for new production.

• Supports the rescue of ocean creatures such as turtles, sharks, and dolphins, helps to restore healthy marine ecosystems, and increases biodiversity.

* Thanks to CiCLO® cooperation, it provides traceability and biodegradability advantages in the supply chain.

• Encourages business life in the fishing industry to participate in the circular economy, and helps local fishermen and women get extra income.

We, at Özen, are a manufacturer that supports and pioneers the preservation of the world's ecological balance. We are happy to have designed a collection with InResST® which is a recycling product that aims to collect harmful fishing nets from the deep sea and environment and bring them back to land again.

Our InResST® Collection Supporting Colorful and Sustainable Fashion

We aim to draw attention to the circular economy and environmentalist approaches by bringing new technologies and discoveries developed for sustainable fashion into our collections. We offer you our new fabrics made of OEKO-TEX® and GRS-certified InResST® fiber which support our sustainability philosophy, for your sustainable collections. You can visit the "New Arrivals" products page to see our Ecovero, cotton, viscose blended jacquard fabric options to inspire you on your design journey.

INRESST CROSS, VARIATED, BLOCK, and INRESST COTTON are designed to support your sustainable brand.

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