Sea Saver: Wolf & Badger Ocean-Conscious Brand Of The Year 2021

With 25 trillion macro and 51 trillion microplastics littering our oceans, here are some brands who have made saving the sea part of their mission...

Doria & Dojola are a Milanese brand that are dedicated to reducing water consumption throughout their production chain. Through re-using waste yarns and incorporating recycled ocean plastic into their designs, the brand embrace a "blue" approach to fabrication. While Doria & Dojola's Save The Ocean Swim Shorts are made entirely from recycled ocean plastic and feature a print designed to shine a light on the 269,000 tonnes of plastic that are currently spread across our oceans, their Marina Stole is made entirely from natural and biodegradable ingredients and aims to reduce the quantity of hazardous chemicals and micro-plastic pollution released into water around the world. Determined to clean up plastic waste in our oceans bit by bit, the brand's designs aim to inspire conversation and reflection in consumers and their surroundings. 

Amy Russell Taylor Jewellery have launched their Sea Shepherd collection in partnership with Sea Shepherd UK, a direct action marine conservation charity, earlier this year. The collection is an interpretation of how jewellery would look if it was pulled straight from the ocean and features vegan pearls for a perfect synergy with Sea Shepherd’s core principles. Each piece in the collection speaks of the impact the ocean has on our world and calls us to protect it. With each sale, 20% of the proceeds are donated Sea Shepherd UK and the brand are now planning to introduce their educational programmes into children’s schools, conserving our oceans each step of the way. 

Veom Activewear is a London-based brand that firmly believe in recycling, renovating and pure living. Created out of sustainable Italian recycled polyester, Veom's designs, including their dynamic Performance Sets, minimise plastic waste in our oceans. This high-quality polyester is crafted from plastic bottles and fishing nets, responsibly collected from the ocean and makes up the entirety of their collection.

Borraco are committed to creating accessible, sustainable swimwear that reduces the impact of plastic pollution on our oceans. The brand source recycled plastic patented fabric directly from Italy to create swimwear that is entirely made out of recycled plastic bottles. Here, post consumer plastic bottles are prevented from entering oceans by being collected, cleaned, recycled and transformed into polyester yarn ready to be made into swimwear.

Vegan haircare brand Nereus are dedicated to creating sustainable beauty care products that help fight against the vast amount of plastic polluting our planet and oceans. Not only has the brand ensured that plastic is removed from every stage of their production process, from packaging to manufacturing and logistics, Nereus has also teamed up with Plastic Bank to collect 1kg of ocean bound plastic for every bottle of Nereus sold. To date they have paid for and helped collect over 20000kg of plastic and ensured that it is properly processed and recycled. That is equivalent to 1,000,000 plastic shampoo bottles.

Antoninia’s beachwear collection is 95% made from Econyl, a form of nylon that is made entirely from post-consumer waste including abandoned fishing nets, carpets, and rigid textiles. While nylon is often made from a derivative of oil, Econyl aims to clean the oceans and seas of marine litter such as derelict fishnets that are responsible for the needless death of marine animals. The fishing nets recovered in collection points from the sea bed by volunteer divers and are first cleaned and sorted before being sent to regeneration plant to be transformed into high-quality fabric. 

'Alohi Kai Jewelry is born from a love of the deep blue, with every design telling a story of underwater life and adventure. Based in Hawaii, the brand are dedicated to keeping our oceans and marine life healthy after seeing first hand the damage and pollution inflicted on our waters. Through donating and volunteering with Hawaii Marine Animal Response, participating in reef clean ups, being a Sustainable Seafood Ambassador and providing underwater photos to coral scientists and conservation charities, 'Alohi Kai Jewelry incorporate marine conservation into everything they do. 

Groove Activewear transform plastic waste, destined for our oceans and landfills, into vibrant, sustainable activewear. Unlike traditional sportswear, made of entirely virgin plastic or polyester, the brand's sets are comprised of 87% Recycled Polyester (rPet). With each set, 20-30 post-consumer plastic bottles are renewed instead of polluting our waters and endangering marine life. The RPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) yarn used in their products is made from post-consumer water bottles and is Global Recycled Standard certified, and even the dyeing and finishing process of Groove Activewear's fabric is Bluesign certified-ensuring that the least possible amount of water was used during production.