Project Facts
Location
Greece, Italy, Spain, Thailand
Applied Financing Solutions
Private Equity, Private Donations
Project Dates
Start: 2015
In operation since/from: 2018
The Story
ECOALF is a fashion and lifestyle brand that uses sustainable technologies to create high-quality clothing and accessories. Their initiative Upcycling the Oceans has three objectives: to remove litter that damages marine ecosystems from our seas, giving a second life to recovered waste with a circular economy view, and raising awareness about the global issue that marine litter presents.
The ECOALF Foundation has successfully established and proven this initiative in Spain, where it cooperates with more than 2,600 fishermen from 40 ports collecting about 150 tonnes of trash per year. The debris is collected, separated, and given a second chance through recycling processes, such as textile products in collaboration with the ECOALF fashion brand. The initiative has since expanded into Thailand, Greece, Italy, and ECOALF Foundation is currently working to replicate it in France. Upcycling the Oceans is not only a passive fishing for litter program but also a waste management system to promote the circular economy.
ECOALF Foundation is also interested in scientific knowledge about the marine pollution problem. For that reason, they have included citizen science activities focused on characterizations of the trash collected from the seabed and from the riverside.
Upcycling the Oceans carries out analyses of the marine litter recovered by the fishermen periodically with the support of independent entities. On the one hand, it promotes transparency, traceability and a proper project monitoring. On the other hand, it provides valuable information to tackle the marine litter issue.
Success Factor | Hero Moment
In 2018 the city of Lanjarón and the ECOALF Foundation jointly launched a pilot project, which aimed to prevent waste accumulated in coastal areas from getting into the sea. For this project, a number of locations on the Andalusian coast were selected for clean-up operations and detailed characterisation in order to improve the knowledge of the problem and to create solutions. It was the first time that the ECOALF Foundation addressed the marine litter problem upstream. The approach has proven successful and has consequently been implemented in other countries.
Submitter
Ecoalf Recycled Fabrics, S.A., Spain
Other Involved Stakeholders
Ecoalf Foundation, the HAP Foundation
Contact Mail
moliart@ecoalf.com
