PART 1: PLASTIC IN THE SEA - HOW BIG IS THE PROBLEM?
Every year, around 10 million tonnes of plastic waste fill the oceans - our playground for all kinds of water sports and which we all love. This number should first be read on the tip of your tongue. We have to stop the littering and we can only do that if politics, industry and consumers work together. Because plastic can no longer be fished. And otherwise we won't be able to practise our sport.
The sea is now one of the dirtiest places in the world. Plastic bags, plastic bottles, packaging material and toothbrushes are floating in five large rubbish swirls.
Real waves of plastic waste are washing up on the beaches. If we don't do something about it, there will be more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050.
More than 663 animal species are directly affected by the rubbish catastrophe. Around one million seabirds and hundreds of thousands of marine mammals are killed by litter every year. They often mistake plastic for food and then starve to death on a full stomach.
Whales, dolphins and turtles get caught in six-pack trucks and old fishing nets and drown in agony. The foul play of the big corporations in the plastic crisis is partly responsible for the plastic waste crisis.
THE FIRST STEP: PLASTIC-FREE PACKAGING
We, as an after-surfwear brand, refrain from using 100% plastic in our products as well as in our packaging! Only compostable and biodegradable materials are used. Here, too, the selection of the right partners was an important factor for us. We work with BIOBiene and Packhelp, both of which place a high value on sustainability.
