Ghost nets vs. waste nets
Transparency and accountability, in everything from our choice of materials to collabs, cleanups, and the value chain, is something we work purposefully with every day. We fully acknowledge that we have not been accurate enough in our communication. In particular, when distinguishing between waste and ghost nets used in our swim and activewear.
The vast majority of the fishing nets used in the production of ECONYL® are waste nets collected from fish farms, the fishing industry, and harbors before they are discarded. Most of the nets collected from the ocean - known as ghost nets - are often too damaged to be used for the production of ECONYL®. Therefore, ECONYL®, and thus our swim and activewear, only contain a small percentage of ghost nets.
ECONYL® is 100% recycled nylon waste.
According to our dialogue with the Aquafil Group that produces ECONYL®, the average composition of ECONYL® is:
- 50% is post-consumer waste (fishing nets coming from aquaculture, and the fish industry, and a small % from the ocean and carpet flooring)
- 50% is pre-consumer waste (fabric scraps and industrial plastic)
In our swimwear and activewear, ECONYL® is combined with 22% elastane.
Greater transparency around our materials.
And everything we do. To ensure we will communicate as clearly and accurately as possible we:
- Updated our product descriptions.
- Initiated a replacement of all care labels on styles produced before AW22 so that they meet current requirements. (Our new SS23 labels were already accurate.)
- Continuously update our communication to reflect what we do and how and why we do it so that it is straightforward for our customers, partners, and stakeholders.
With the vision to create positive change and explore and co-create innovative ways to produce and minimize waste, we are willing to navigate the challenges toward change.
The past few weeks have reminded us never to stop proactively seeking every opportunity to educate ourselves. And when the learning curve and the waves are high, we recommit.
There is still a tremendous amount of work ahead of us: We can once again state that we are still willing to do the work we set out to do.
Thank you to each and everyone, both for starting and having the conversations that challenge us and for standing with us.
As we continue to aim for a better tomorrow,
💙 Copenhagen Cartel