Boompods are proud to announce their partnership with #tide ocean SA. #tide is a company based in Basel, Switzerland. Working together with social enterprises in Southeast Asia, to collect plastic waste that threatens our oceans.
In cooperation with scientists from the Swiss University of Applied Sciences, #tide has found a solution that allows damaged plastic molecules within plastics to be repaired, allowing them to be recycled into a valuable raw material. Granules, yarns and filament made of #tide ocean material, can be transformed into sustainable & premium quality products.
By using what already exists, #tide is closing the circle of plastic production and saving fossil energy such as petroleum. #tide is compounding with renewable energy whenever it is available.
Since 1950, close to half of all plastic has ended up in landfill or dumped in the wild, and only 9% of all plastic ever made has likely been recycled.
Discarded fishing gear comprises an estimate of 20% of the plastic pollution in the ocean.
Annually, more than 80% of the plastics polluting the oceans come from land-based sources.
The ocean-bound plastics are collected on islands, beaches, along coastlines and uncontrolled landfills. Exposed to sun, sea, sand and rain, the plastic waste is dirty, brittle – but also threatening the environment. #tide pay fair wages to fishermen and local communities who are picking up the plastics.
The material is sorted in Social Enterprises: A plastic bottle for instance often consists of three different kind of plastics: PET (bottle), PP (screw cap) and PET-G resins (label). The local teams make sure that these plastics are separated, cleansed and pressed to bales for further processing. #tide collect different kinds of plastics: PET, PP, HDPE or LDPE.
The processing and recycling of plastic waste is overseen and monitored by #tide's Research and Development department and #tide’s partners at the Institute for Materials Technology and Plastics Processing (IWK), a specialized branch of Switzerland's University.
#tide scientists ensure the material meets our quality standards and is upcycled according to a mechanical method developed in close partnership with the Swiss University of Applied Sciences. The brittle plastic waste is transformed into a premium second life raw material with an astounding level of purity – and without adding any virgin plastics.
#tide’s raw material consists of 100% recycled ocean-bound plastics. #tide recycle and upcycle the plastic waste, perfecting their know-how to align the properties of the plastic waste. Depending on the final product, #tide’s experts know how to align the properties of the collected and upcycled plastic waste with the manufacturing process. Every product has its own specifications; they have the knowledge and the network to make the impossible possible. #tide refer to this as target oriented compounding.
There's way too much single-use plastic ending up on landfills, in rivers and finally in the ocean: It's #tide’s big goal to change this by applying their upcycled material to all kinds of industries and products. #tide ocean material is a raw component ready for all possible plastic and textile applications. It can be processed to filaments, yarns and fabrics (canvas). #tide’s scientists and partners continue to research new applications and processing possibilities, from foil extrusion to blow molding.
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