What on earth does “Upcycling the Oceans” mean? Upcycling the Oceans is “an unprecedented global adventure to help clean the oceans of debris through fishermen. It’s a unique, complex and groundbreaking project whose ultimate goal is to transform the plastic debris found in the Mediterranean into thread to make fabric.” With the help of the fishermen, the project recovers 1 ton of trash per day. 

The company Ecoalf founded the Upcycling the Oceans project. It collects trash in and around the Mediterranean Sea and then turns the marine debris into top-quality pellets, thread, fabric and products. 

Ecoalf is a fashion brand that is sustainable. The company was formed in 2009 to “create the first generation of recycled products with the same quality, design and technical properties as the best non-recycled products to show that there is no need to use our world’s natural resources in a careless way.” It makes T-shirts, coats, shoes, sweaters, swimsuits and accessories (bags and backpacks), all out of discarded fishing nets, used plastic bottles, worn-out tires, post-industrial cotton, and even used coffee grinds. 

Yes, it’s possible. Here’s a short video on the Ecoalf Foundation’s efforts to save our ecosystem.