[leadin]Old fishing nets are a problem in the ocean.[/leadin]
The plastics used to make the nets are very slow to decompose and the old nets trap and tangle with wildlife. The nets are recyclable, but there is little incentive for people to collect them from beaches or waterways.
A company is working to change that, crafting sunglasses from the recycled material of fishing nets found off the coast of Chile.
Bureo Skateboards, in partnership with sunglass manufacturer Karun, launched a Kickstarter to make The Ocean Collection — sunglasses with frames made 100 percent from recycled fishing nets.
The sunglasses look nice and have polarized Carl Zeiss lenses and sell for $100 a pair, which is pretty reasonable for quality sunglasses. The recycled net material all comes from the biologically rich waters off the coast of Chile and are manufactured in Italy.
So if you’re looking for a pair of new shades, check them out. Three models are available and, while we haven’t tested them, Zeiss lenses usually signal good quality.