Home: Saving the ocean with design

As we wake up to more horrific images of plastics contaminating the sea and disrupting marine ecosystems, these designers are trying to reverse the damage

Discarded bottles, fishing nets bobbing up and down on the sea surface or majestic sea creatures tangled in plastic webs — these are not new occurrences and the state of the seas didn’t turn overnight, but it has taken a mix of social media advocacy, mainstream media focus, and maybe, just maybe, denials of climate change from some of the highest offices on the planet, that we are finally waking up to the mess we have created.

It will take monumental re-programming efforts — at the level of institutions, policy and end user — to ensure no new plastic is added to our ecosystems, but what do we do right now?

I would say, first, decline the offer of plastic straws at restaurants — use pasta straws if you absolutely must, and second, support designers who are taking the plastic out of the ocean and repurposing the non-recyclable waste into exciting new products.

In 2015, London based Studio Swine introduced their five-piece collection made from plastics removed from the sea. The pieces inspired by maritime traditions also alluded to the specificity of the situation where they were trawled from. Since then, designers have continually explored to creatively address plastic pollution.

In recent years, they have presented accessible, daily use products that further the conversation.