Sea2See makes premium eyewear using recovered ocean waste as a raw material to produce optical and sunglasses.

Sea2See sees eye to eye with the fishing industry on the urgence of combatting ocean pollution and has established a supply chain that benefits local fishermen, fishing equipment manufacturers and the environment. Sea2See has placed more than 100 containers in 30 ports along the coast of Spain where fisherman can deposit plastic waste, fishing nets, lines and ropes. Sea2See works with these communities to educate them about the dangers of ghost fishing and the problems with ocean waste. Every day, an average of 1 tonne of waste is transferred to a waste treatment plant where it is sorted. Selected waste is then recycled into a new material, before the plastic for eyewear is sent to Italy for production. Other sorted materials are redistributed to create fishing equipment such as nets and wires. Once the glasses have taken shape and are tested to meet the quality requirements of the optical market, they are sold via the company’s webshop across the world.

In an ocean of possibilities when it comes to sunglasses, Sea2See provides consumers worldwide with an option that both contributes to ocean clean-up and make them feel part of the change. The company puts it like this: “Sustainable glasses will not change the world, people that wear them will.”

Why you should care

On the current trajectory, there will be more plastic waste than fish in the oceans by 2050. In European seas, one third of all marine litter is from abandoned, lost or disposed fishing gear. Sea2See’s solution helps to prevents old fishing gear and other waste from entering the ocean where it could cause environmental harm including ghost-fishing, where abandoned and discarded fishing gear traps and endangers marine life.

How the Global Goals are addressed

Responsible Consumption And Production

Sea2See’s glasses are 100% made from recycled sea plastic and contribute to an increase in overall recycling rates.

Life Below Water

Over 11,000 tons of abandoned, lost or disposed fishing gear is found in European seas every year. By upcycling discarded fishnets, Sea2See reduces the risk of ghost fishing.