We always try to stay positive here at TWOTHIRDS. It’s not always easy, what with the coral bleaching, ocean acidification, and bottom trawling… Who else watched Ocean with David Attenborough and was inspired, but also a bit angry and scared? You’re not alone!
Rest assured, we’re doing everything we can to bring about much-needed ocean-saving change in the fashion industry. To this end, we’re truly humbled by the ongoing support of our Blue Community, including the way you’ve all gotten behind our latest collab with marine conservationists CRAM!
Part of our ongoing mission involves searching for the materials, fabrics and technologies of the future that could play a part in caring for our precious oceans. Let’s have a look at the ones on our radar, some connected to fashion and others not.
Plastic That Dissolves in Seawater
Up until now, there have been three ways of preventing ocean plastic waste. It could be intercepted and recycled before reaching the ocean. It could be collected from the sea and recycled. Or single-use plastics could be banned in the first place. Despite all three options being pursued globally to some degree (see our recycled swimwear), it is predicted that there will be more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050.
But what if there was a new type of plastic that simply dissolved in sea water? That’s the promise coming from scientists in Japan, who claim to have created a non-toxic plastic that dissolves completely within a couple of hours when submerged in seawater, creating zero harmful microplastics in the process.
While such technology is not yet ready to be rolled out on a commercial scale, we are hopeful that it can one day help us focus on recycling plastic waste that already exists in our oceans, rather than fighting a new unstoppable wave of non-biodegradable single-use plastic.
Carbon Negative Fabrics
What if viscose fibres could be made from emissions? Sounds like a dream, right?! That’s the lofty aim of California startup Rubi Laboratories, a company founded by sisters Leila and Neeka Mashouf. They claim to be close to having developed a scientific process that turns standard carbon emissions into wearable viscose fibres.
We already use the most sustainable, closed-loop viscose-based fibres in the form of LENZING™ ECOVERO™ and TENCEL™ Lyocell to create ethical summer dresses and lightweight jumpsuits. However, a viscose that doesn’t require tree pulp AND can help draw C02 out of the atmosphere would certainly be interesting. We’ll track this technology and hope it’s not another Theranos-style false dawn…
More Conscious Fishing Techniques
Bottom trawling is a destructive form of fishing that involves dredging the sea floor with weighted nets, tearing up all marine life in its path. What makes this even worse is that much of what’s scooped up is thrown back into the sea. This can include delicate coral reefs and endangered marine life. It’s no wonder that Greenpeace has likened the practice to deforestation, and it reminds us of the wastefulness we fight against in the fashion industry.
Luckily, pressure is mounting for this rudimentary mode of fishing to be outlawed, both in national and international waters. There’s no excuse not to, thanks to innovative, less extractive fishing techniques made possible by modern tech and even AI, which could enable fishing boats to be more selective of how and when their nets touch the sea floor. You can read more about this (with all the technical fishing language included) right here.
Carbon Capture Garments
Imagine wearing a genuinely sustainable t-shirt or truly eco-friendly dress that actively sucks planet warming C02 out of the atmosphere! That’s the tantalising promise of so-called carbon capture garments. Rather than transforming carbon emissions into fibres, as described earlier, this technology features existing fabrics and yarns that absorb C02 as they’re worn at work or the beach.
Brazilian brand Malwee are trialling the tech in a t-shirt and we’re keeping a close eye to see how it progresses. What’s particularly interesting is that the company claims that absorbed C02 emissions are turned into harmless sodium bicarbonate during washing. Too good to be true? Let’s hope not!
The Jevons Paradox
While innovations that reduce emissions and protect ecosystems should be encouraged, there is evidence to show that such advances can lead to what’s known as the Jevons Paradox. This theory claims that technological advancements that make a resource more efficient can lead to increased overall consumption of that resource. This happens because reduced costs, due to efficiency gains, can increase demand and usage, outweighing the efficiency improvement. The concept is amazingly explained here by Nate Hagens.
This should act as a warning to those who believe technological quick fixes, such as geoengineering, will save our oceans. Ultimately, that will only be achieved if we as societies and industries drastically change the way we co-exist with nature.
