PERCENT OF to Launch Sunglasses Made from Recycled Nylon Material from Discarded Fishing Nets
- 관리자
- 2024.01.04
PERCENT OF to Launch Sunglasses Made from Recycled Nylon Material from Discarded Fishing Nets.
PERCENT OF announced plans to launch sunglasses made from discarded fishing nets collected at Jungja Port in Buk-gu, Ulsan.
PERCENT OF is a domestic small and medium-sized enterprise that chemically recycles discarded fishing nets, the main culprits of marine environmental pollution, and is promoting a circular economy business by recycling even used sunglasses through its own collection system.
Discarded fishing nets, made not only of nylon but also of polypropylene, polyethylene, etc., do not decompose for hundreds of years after being discharged after fishing operations. It is estimated that over 1.2 million tons of discarded fishing nets are discarded annually worldwide, making them a major contributor to marine environmental pollution.
What sets PERCENT OF apart is its use of 'Netspa R-Nylon,' a recycled material from discarded fishing nets, and 'Rilsan Clear G850 Rnew,' a bio-plastic made from castor oil, in its sunglasses frames. While overseas brands like Costa del Mar, a subsidiary of Essilor Luxottica, utilize discarded fishing net materials to produce sunglasses, this is the first such initiative in South Korea.
In particular, PERCENT OF has been collaborating with Netspa since April last year to ensure a steady supply of discarded fishing nets. Netspa is a domestic company that extracts nylon, the main material of discarded fishing nets, to produce high-purity recycled nylon raw materials.
The sunglasses are made into eco-friendly eyewear products by h2c Design, located in Daegu, using Netspa's high-purity nylon pellets. Additionally, in collaboration with Liberation, an eco-friendly packaging solution company founded by former LG Household & Health Care product designer Lee Min-seong, paper mold cases are also provided.
Bang Jun, CEO of PERCENT OF, said, "Products made from discarded fishing nets collected at Jungja Port in Buk-gu, Ulsan, for the entire production of sunglasses frames are also named 'Jungja Port Edition.' Starting with website sales, we plan to supply to various fashion shopping malls, anticipating an increase in consumers who value social values as well as ethical consumption as much as style."
He continued, "While observing the series of actions where the founder of the eco-friendly company Patagonia donates company shares to non-profit organizations, I thought it would be good to have such eco-friendly brands in Korea and decided to establish it." He added, "We will set a sponsorship theme every year and conduct a campaign to donate a portion of sales from January to November to environmental organizations in December."
Meanwhile, PERCENT OF has also established a 'Circular Material Program,' a self-recovery system that ensures that frames separated from used sunglasses upon consumer request are recovered and reused as raw materials for new material manufacturing.