Vow never to buy plastic bottles of water
The oceans are full of plastic and we holidaymakers should at the very least ensure we don’t add to it. One of the best things we can do is not buy bottles of water at the beach but take our own re-useable bottles with us. Chilly's Bottles are ideal, being made from high grade stainless steel. They keep water cold for 24 hours or hot for 12 hours and come in myriad colours and various sizes. Or if you prefer to buy from social enterprises, Jerry offers stainless steel water bottles with a reclaimed bamboo lid, no less, and profits from sales go to fund sanitation projects in West Bengal and in Tanzania. (Find them in the UK at ethical.market.)
Wood framed sunglasses
Sunglasses frames are made predominantly from plastic. However, there are companies trying to wean onto
wooden frames, which are more
eco friendly (as long as the timber comes from sustainable forests),
lightweight and very attractive. We Brits are only just starting to consider wooden frames as a viable option, however in Germany and the US, the market is significant. If you've got some serious money to play with, acquaint yourself with the beautiful wooden eyewear made by UK company
Campbell Marson, which has been producing wooden flooring since the 1920s and last year decided to turn its gaze on glasses.
MD Alan Fox says 'as a company of woodworkers and cabinet makers, our aim was simple. To make the most exceptionally engineered wooden glasses in the world. With a company full of talented cabinet makers, we knew this was very achievable. Our challenge was to make a pair of glasses that was design led, technically superior to any other wooden frames, comfortable to wear, super lightweight and flexible, easy to glaze, with a cabinet makers finish.'
He thinks the reason many people are sceptical about wood being uses for frames for glasses is that early models didn't work because makers didn't understand the parameters of wood. 'Wood is hydroscopic, meaning it can take on and release moisture. This in turn means it can move, shrink twist and or crack if not manufactured and finished in the correct manner. Many companies tried and failed to make wooden eye wear, and as experienced cabinet makers, we could see immediately why their efforts were unsuccessful.'
Over in the US, LA based
SBOJi offers a range of wood frames, including some made from recycled skateboard wood, while Berlin-based
DaWanda offers wooden sunglasses at under 80 euros and here in the UK, fashion brand Toast sells them too.
Recycled nylon swimwear
Swimwear doesn't really work made from natural fibres alas - no one wants a wool bikini, for example, because it’ll fall down under the weight of the water it’ll absorb when you take a dip. But nylon and polyester are oil-derived fibres so the direction of travel should be to use recycled synthetic fibres. UK clothing brand
Finisterre has stylish swimwear made from
Econyl, a fibre made from recycled nylon, with sources including discarded fishing nets. US brand
Speedo is also very keen to use econyl - the
Powerflex Eco one-piece swimsuit is just one of its designs that use recycled nylon yarn.