We upcycle old fishing nets into new products like our “Bracenet” bracelets. But where do we get all these fishing nets? And what’s the deal when we talk about “recovered ghost nets,” “discarded fishing nets,” or “former fishing nets”? Does a “North Sea Bracenet” really come from the North Sea? Can we trace the origin of all our nets?
With BRACENET, you’re making a contribution to ocean conservation. More specifically, a double contribution: With every product, you help put an end to the menace of ghost nets and simultaneously donate towards the protection of the seas and marine life. We’re thrilled to announce our first major milestone: To date, we have collectively donated over a quarter of a million Euros – €250,558!
If you like to spend time along Germany’s North Sea coast, you will likely be well acquainted with weather, wind and waves. You’ll also be familiar with another sight: Small threads of plastic, mostly orange or blue, that have been washed ashore. These are so-called “dolly ropes”. They are used to protect fishing nets, but they endanger the environment. What can we do about it?
The oceans are in danger: marine pollution, underwater noise, illegal fishing, and the consequences of the climate crisis threaten ecosystems and consequently our livelihoods. We have to do something about it! We believe that we can accomplish the biggest difference when we collaborate with other organizations and companies that share our mission. With this in mind, we are proud to fight alongside Sea Shepherd for the future of our oceans.
We recover ghost nets from the oceans – and other great companies like GOT BAG fight against the other kinds of plastic waste in our seas. Now, we’re joining our focus with the Save the Seas Pack! We’ve interviewed GOT BAG for you to learn more about the background and impact of their backpacks.
The oceans cover ⅔ of our planet – they are so vast that they seem invulnerable. But through our work we know that they struggle with many problems, for instance ocean acidification. In this article, we tell you what this is and what it means for our oceans.
In 2015, Benjamin and Madeleine travelled to Tanzania and Zanzibar to relax and go diving. In addition to beautiful holiday memories, they also returned with the founding story of Bracenet. Read this article to learn how it all began and what we’ve achieved so far!
We are excited to share the first of a series of articles from Ian Urbinas investigations with you! He explores how difficult it can be for some countries to monitor the health of their waters, including their fish stocks, and how challenging it can be to hold suspected perpetrators of illegal fishing practices accountable.
Every year, shops around the world lure us with Black Friday promotions to encourage us to buy. Yet we can see the effects of mass consumption almost daily in the news: the consequences of the climate catastrophe, the exploitation of workers, plastic wate flooding our oceans. This kind of consumption is not compatible with sustainability. […]
During the lockdown, we mostly stayed inside – but our rubbish still found its way out. Not only to waste processing plants or onto the compost, but also into nature. Masks are everywhere: they are found in parks and on beaches, are drifting through rivers and seas. Ghost nets are glad about their company – the environment, however, not so much.
The global Overshoot Day 2020 falls on August 22nd. Alarming? Yes – but the situation is even more dramatic in Germany, as our country Overshoot Day was already on May 3rd! It’s just that hardly anybody noticed it, since there were no activities on the day due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But what is Overshoot Day anyway?
Recently, we showed you why all our Bracenets look so different and explained the many types of fishing nets and fishing methods. This has left a few questions unanswered, which we now want to address: Can fishing be sustainable at all and are the various sustainability certification schemes credible?
Have you been thinking about buying a (or another) Bracenet for a while? We too thoroughly consider everything before we buy a product, as we want to be confident about our decisions. Sustainability is not always straightforward and it is definitely worth asking questions.
When you browse through our shop, you will quickly notice that our products all look different: They come in varying colours, are thicker or thinner and sometimes have one, two, or even three knots. We are often asked whether we can offer additional colours, too. The answer – it depends! In this article we will explain you more about this.
Our products such as Bracenets, dog leashes and keychains are completely new – and yet they are made of used material. How does that fit together? The answer is simple: we upcycle recovered ghost nets that were originally intended for many years of fishing in harsh environments and are thus still suitable for daily use. In this article, we will take a closer look at upcycling, what the differences are to recycling, and why we choose to upcycle.
When we recover ghost nets with Healthy Seas and Ghost Diving, we are not looking for the colourful and beautiful nets you know from our products. For now, they are still dirty and covered with seaweed! Only after our partner Nofir has cleaned them in an environmentally friendly process, will they regain their many colours. Nofir makes an invaluable contribution to the fight against ghost nets and in this article, we want to tell you more about their work.
We produce by hand – from the very beginning, as even the ghost nets for our products are retrieved by hand (and fins): Our partners at Ghost Diving (previously Ghost Fishing) have taken it upon themselves to free the seas from the haunt of the nets. The experienced, voluntary technical divers recover ghost nets from depths of up to 50 meters and save countless marine animals in the process.
Since December 2016, we have been collaborating with the Lebenshilfewerk Neumünster (LHW). Time flies! This is a good moment to pause and reflect: These were three years of partnership, three years of joint progress and three years of support and product innovation – for LHW not only assists us in producing Bracenets, but also in developing new products.
Fashion Revolution campaigns for a world where the fashion industry values people, the environment, creativity and profit equally and where we know the faces behind our clothes and jewellery. As part of Fashion Revolution Week, our founders Madeleine and Benjamin will go live on Instagram for a Q&A.
We have been collaborating with Healthy Seas since 2016 to recover ghost nets from the oceans and to prevent more nets from ending up at sea. Additionally, we donate 10 % of the proceeds of our products to Healthy Seas – and you are probably eager to learn how your contribution helps to fight the ghost nets.
BRACENET GMBH
Jungfernstieg 44
20354 Hamburg
Return and commercial address. No retail store.
No on-site sales!
[email protected]
All prices incl. VAT.
