The Ocean Cleanup has teamed up with Yves Béhar to create a pair of sunglasses from plastic that the non-profit has collected from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
This marks the first time that the Dutch organisation has created a product from the plastic it has retrieved from the ocean as part of its attempt to go "full circle from trash to treasure".
The sunglasses are made from plastic debris collected from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Produced by Italian eyewear brand Safilo, the glasses have a classic shape reminiscent of Ray Ban's Wayfarers, rendered in deep, navy blue, with distinctive turquoise hinges connecting each arm to the frame.
"It was important for the glasses to embrace the natural, raw iridescence of the blue material, as for me it mimics the beauty of the sea and says something about the material's origin," Fuseproject founder Béhar told Dezeen. The design by Yves Béhar features a distinctive light blue hinge
The product is designed to be "useful and durable" and once it reaches the end of its life, it can be easily disassembled into its constituent parts and recycled once again.
"The material is a bit softer structurally than standard plastic, which delivers a nice feel in the hand and on the face," said Béhar.
"By designing a slightly thicker frame, we were able to transform the softer plastic composite into a solid and durable product.
"Our easily removable hinges are not inserted within the pl...