We introduce our partners: Part 1
ghost nets have a long journey behind them. But also ahead of them, until they adorn our wrists: They are recovered, cleaned and handcrafted to Bracenet processed. We count on the active support of our partners for this journey – and here we would like to introduce you to the work of Healthy Seas. Since 2016, we have been working with the initiative to recover ghost nets from the seas and to intercept end-of-life nets from fisheries so that they do not end up in the sea in the first place. We also regularly donate to Healthy Seas – and you are probably interested in how you can help fight the ghost nets contributes!
Who is Healthy Seas?
Healthy Seas was founded in 2013 as an initiative by a non-profit organization and two companies: Ghost Diving, Aquafil and Star Sock. Ghost Diving is the world's leading organization for the recovery of ghost nets, Aquafil develops the so-called ECONYL® yarn from recycled nylon (including old ghost nets) and Star Sock produces socks made of ECONYL® and organic cotton. They all share the mission of freeing the oceans and marine animals from plastic waste and reusing used material. Healthy Seas was born from this idea: The initiative saves marine animals and protects ecosystems by recovering ghost nets from the seas and breathing new life into them.
The work of Healthy Seas
“A Journey from Waste to Wear” – Healthy Seas’ motto aptly describes their work. The initiative starts with “waste”: they dive for ghost nets, intercept them preventively from fisheries as end-of-life nets and raise awareness of the issue among the population. After the nets have been recovered and cleaned by our partner Nofir, some are given to Aquafil for recycling and some to us at Bracenet for upcycling, thus becoming “wear”.
Recovering the Nets
Healthy Seas now has around 250 divers from Ghost Diving for ghost nets. There are now over 15 diving teams all over the world - starting in the Netherlands, from the USA to South Korea to New Zealand, and now also in Germany. Most of our nets come from the North Sea, the Mediterranean and the Adriatic Sea.
Here they search for ghost nets, which are usually caught on wrecks or reefs. The professional, technical divers carefully cut the nets loose and free entangled marine animals. In this way, they save stingrays, starfish and crustaceans, for example, which would otherwise die in the nets. They then use so-called "lifting bags" to bring the nets to the water surface. Here they are hauled onto boats by other team members and finally brought to land. As soon as the ghost nets are recovered, marine life can fully flourish again.
Divers from Ghost Diving searching for ghost nets.
The prevention work
Recovering ghost nets is an important contribution to protecting the oceans. However, as up to 1 million tons more fishing equipment ends up in the oceans, Healthy Seas is working with us on prevention work. We work with fisheries, fish farms and coastal communities to intercept their end-of-life nets before they are thrown away. We are also developing new solutions together to ensure that nets do not end up in the ocean in the future. Our efforts are showing success: more and more fisheries are coming to us with discarded nets. Are you part of a fishery that wants to hand in old nets or have you found a net on the beach, for example? Then contact our Netquarter ! We then check with Healthy Seas the disposal options or accept the nets directly and use them for our products such as the Bracenets and keychain .
The educational work
Outside of the water, Healthy Seas is also committed to improving public understanding of ghost nets. Through lectures and training programs, the initiative educates people about the impact of lost fishing gear on marine life and emphasizes that healthy seas have both ecological and economic importance.
The further path
Healthy Seas’ work does not end with diving for nets: the initiative also wants to breathe new life into them. The nets that are suitable for upcycling Bracenets Healthy Seas delivers the products after cleaning by Nofir to us. These are usually nets made of HDPE ( high density polyethylene ) , as their fibers and structure make them ideal for everyday use on the wrist. Other nets are sent to Aquafil, one of the founding companies of Healthy Seas, for recycling. Aquafil uses nylon nets together with other nylon waste to produce its recycled ECONYL® yarn, which is used for sustainable clothing, for example - such as by other founding partner Star Sock for socks or other companies for swimwear. While the ghost nets in the sea are still unwanted waste, the joint work of Healthy Seas, Bracenet and other partners gives them a new life and turns them into beloved clothing and accessories.
We check whether nets are suitable for bracenets.
The success :
Since its founding in 2013, Healthy Seas 773 tons of nets have already been recovered from the sea - that's the equivalent of the weight of over 4 blue whales, the largest animal on earth. As a result, Healthy Seas has saved countless marine animals and prevented thousands more from becoming entangled in the nets. Healthy Seas is also an important link in the chain that makes the production of our Bracenets and ECONYL® with nets possible in the first place. Healthy Seas' efforts to protect our oceans are also publicly recognized and rewarded - for example, in 2019 Healthy Seas received the award for circular economy at the "Green Carpet Fashion Awards" at Milan Fashion Week.
A partner we are happy to support
Healthy Seas is doing a great job of fighting ghost nets and we are grateful for their support since we were founded. We have now processed almost 7 tons of ghost nets into bracenets and other products, generating a total of over €150,000 in donations for Healthy Seas. With the help of our donations and others, the organization was able to increase its equipment, expand activities and thereby increase its volunteer diving teams from 50 to 250 divers. We have come a long way together - and look forward to continuing to work together to finally rid the oceans of the specter of the nets!
We are donating €20,000 to Healthy Seas. Together we have already generated a total of €150,000 for the initiative.
To stay up to date with new developments at Healthy Seas, visit the website by Healthy Seas.
Would you also like to learn more about ghost nets? Here are 5 things you should know about ghost nets .