OceanPositive

Building off the success of their popular OceanPositive swimwear line, Fourth Element has introduced their 2019 collecting inspired by sharks. Dubbed ‘FIN’ the collection includes swimsuits, as well as long sleeve tops and bottoms all made from recycled ghost nets and other discarded waste.
We had the opportunity to chat with Fourth Element Co-Founder Paul Strike who explained the process involved from turning ocean plastics into ECONYL® yarn which is used in their swimwear and rashguards. The process is anything but straight forward and we applaud Fourth Element for embarking on this journey.
Perhaps one day we can make the trip over to Europe and learn more about this process and the steps Fourth Element is taking to reduce waste at all level of their production. We even spoke to Paul about his vision of implementing a recycling program for their clothing.
Speaking to Paul really helped drive the idea home, if we even want to make a dent in combating ocean plastic, change needs to happen at all levels. And once you start delving into the world of product manufacturing you start to realize how deep the problem really extends.
These days there is no hidden from the fact that plastic is flooding into our oceans at an overwhelming rate, and unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to scuba diving around the world without coming across single-use plastics underwater.
We highly recommend supporting companies like Fourth Element who are going above and beyond to reduce waste and reuse plastics from the sea.
The new OceanPositive FIN collection will be available in Spring 2019.

Fourth Element “We believe, looking to the future, that the issues that surround the destruction of our seas go far beyond just abandoned fishing nets. Being ‘OceanPositive’ spans from not just what we do in the ocean but also what we do in our everyday lives.
Approximately 1.4 billion pounds of rubbish per year enters our seas. Dumped into our oceans daily, this threatens marine life, pollutes beaches and affects local tourism industries. In several parts of the world including the Gulf of Mexico and the Baltic Sea, depletion of oxygen in the water has created enormous dead zones. Imagine if below the water there was no more coral reef to explore, unique plants are dying out, wildlife is scarce and some cases, becoming extinct.
For scuba divers, snorkellers and many other water sport enthusiasts, the ocean is a place of beauty and we must fight to help it survive the impact of human activity. At fourth element we are taking small steps everyday to not only improve our products but also to consider the environmental impact of everything that we manufacture.”
Visit Fourth Element online for more information: https://fourthelement.com/