Based in Cornwall, Waterhaul is a social enterprise run by a passionate group of surfers, marine conservationists and ocean enthusiasts who are all focused on removing the most harmful and abundant form of ocean plastic, ‘ghost gear’, from the environment. Waterhaul’s mission is to remove this waste material that is often lost, abandoned or in some cases, intentionally discarded at sea and transform it into high-quality, functional products that support a global community in connecting with and protecting the ocean.
By transforming ghost nets into high-quality products such as sunglasses and utility knives, which are made in Italy, they have created functional and desirable products that have a premium feel and design. Consciously making the price points accessible to allow more people to enjoy their ranges, Waterhaul influences consumers to make more informed decisions about what products they buy. Their sunglasses have been developed with adventurous lifestyles in mind, pairing their 100% recycled fishing net frames with premium, scratch-resistant mineral glass lenses, which are polarised in most of the range, made by world-renowned lens experts Barberini in Italy.
Waterhaul’s positive impact and focus on inspiring individual action through creating a community of like-minded people, is driven by the litter pickers they have created using 100% recycled fishing net material for all the plastic components. They supply charities, environment groups, individuals and litter picking teams with equipment that not only is made of the problem; but goes on to tackle the problem itself, by removing more plastic waste from the environment. Waterhaul has even developed reusable litter picking bags that are hand-made in Cornwall out of end-of-life sailcloth, which pairs perfectly with their bag hoops that are made entirely from 100% recycled fishing nets.
The Waterhaul team regularly scours the coast of Cornwall for the nets that they use in their manufacturing. They are also piloting a net collection scheme with local harbours in Pembrokeshire, Wales, to start scaling up their positive impact.
By removing more ghost gear from the environment, their vision is to expand these projects across the UK and, eventually, internationally.
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To find out more about Waterhaul, visit Waterhaul.co