Companies around the globe looking for ways to battle plastic waste are coming up with innovative ways to tackle the issue. Cape Clasp, based out of Falmouth, Massachusetts, is an example of a business putting the health of the ocean front and center with the release of Tikós— a line of bracelets made from recycled plastic.
While each bracelet, or cuff, represents 100 plastic bottles removed from the ocean, the message goes well beyond simply recycling plastic. The leaders at Cape Clasp believe that education is a more powerful tool than recycling. After all, the only way we will ever solve the massive single-use plastic problem is to change the habits of those causing the issue in the first place.
“Creating a new market for ocean plastic will drive its removal, but that won’t be enough to protect marine life,” says Patrick Clarke, founder of Cape Clasp. “No matter how much plastic we remove from the water, there will always be more flowing in unless we change our habits.”
So while the company turns post-consumer plastic into products, diverting that waste from landfills, their mission is to change the behaviors that produce the plastic waste currently endangering marine animals. With that in mind, each cuff stands as a reminder to the wearer. Color coded to represent different challenges, consumers can choose one or collect them all.
Blue: “Bring a Bag” reminds consumers to tote your own reusable shopping bag to help conserve natural resources like petroleum (plastic) and trees (paper), plus eliminate the plastic bags tumbling down the coastline.
Black: “Skip the Straw” by either asking your server to hold it when you order or by bringing your own reusable straw. Plastic straws are one of the top waste materials clogging beaches and endangering ocean wildlife.
Teal: “Keep the Cup” your morning coffee comes in and find a way to reuse it. Better yet, bring your own cup in for refills and skip the single use altogether.
Tan: “Clean the Coast” with every trip to the beach. Bring along a garbage bag and pick up debris as you stroll, or think big and organize a beach clean up event.
With a purpose-driven mission to clean up the ocean and protect the animals, Cape Clasp has joined forces with myriad similar-minded organizations to further their goal. Donating 15 percent of their profits, the company has raised over $35,000 in the past two years, which has helped fund partners working to protect the dolphins, whales, sea turtles, sharks and the Cape Cod coastline.
Tikós cuffs aim to break the plastic waste circle [Inhabitat]