Arise Collective has joined forces with WWF-Australia to upcycle a dangerous commercial gill net from the Northern Great Barrier Reef and turn it into a pair of fashionable, sustainable sunglasses.
The collaboration aims to help keep marine life safe and our oceans clean. Each year an estimated 98,228 marine animals, including dolphins, dugongs and turtles, are caught in these deadly commercial gill nets on Queensland’s east coast. So in 2018, WWF-Australia supporters bought and removed the last full-time commercial gill net from the northern Great Barrier Reef.
The net was cut, melted and moulded into these one-of-a-kind sunglasses called ReefCycle. With 50 percent of all proceeds going back to WWF-Australia for conservation work, this means that every pair purchased helps to remove even more plastic from our oceans.
“Arise Collective as a brand stands for helping to build a better world and we really believe that this initiative is helping to do so by making our oceans cleaner one pair of sunglasses at a time”, says Julia Ritchie, Arise Collective brand manager.
The grim statistics show that 8 million tonnes of plastic, including harmful fishing nets, end up in our oceans every year. The collaboration has directly helped to make a dent in that reality by not only removing the net but upcycling it into something useful. With 50% of the proceeds going back into further conservation work through WWF-Australia, your purchase is also helping to contribute to even more environmental improvements.
“ The ReefCycle sunnies are a wonderful way to protect our iconic marine wildlife from being captured in fishing nets, while also minimising waste and creating something worthwhile out of discarded materials. The more ocean plastic we can upcycle, the more marine life we can save,” said Simon Miller,
WWF-Australia’s sustainable fisheries project manager.
ReefCycle sunglasses come in three different lens colours (brown, grey and green) and can be polarised or non-polarised. They cost $89 for regular, $139 for polarised, and a prescription option is also available.
Remember- the more sunglasses sold, the more plastic we can remove from our oceans. Order your pair here now. Available exclusively at Vision Direct Australia.
About Arise Collective
Arise Collective was founded in 2017 and creates stylish, socially driven, quality eyewear at an affordable price. Developed by a global community, the Arise Collective team have a clear vision of offering the latest eyewear designs, whilst celebrating diversity and driving social impact. For more information about joining our collective visit Arise Collective- About Us to learn more.
About WWF-Australia
The World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia is one of Australia’s most trusted conservation organisations. For more than 40 years, WWF-Australia has worked to protect threatened species and habitats, meet the challenge of climate change, and build a world where people live in harmony with nature. For more information visit wwf.org.au
