Jewelry brand Virtu Made now uses ocean plastics to launch a new environmentally aware jewelry line.
Sustainable jewelry company Virtu Made recently unveiled its latest collection of bracelets fabricated using recycled plastics retrieved from waterways. The new line resulted from a collaboration between Virtu Made and the TerraCycle Global Foundation to intercept and repurpose plastic waste clogging global rivers and oceans.
Virtu Made works with artisans in Bali to handcraft bracelets made of repurposed materials like recycled glass bottles and bullet casings. Their trademark bracelets embed colorful beads into adjustable cords allowing for a customized fit.
“We aim to inspire a worldwide movement towards environmental sustainability through our jewelry,” said Ryan Dedola, Vice President of Virtu Made. “Our goal is reminding people that small mindful choices can collectively make a big impact.”
For their newest bracelet line, Virtu Made partnered with the TerraCycle Global Foundation to obtain recycled plastic collected from rivers in Thailand before it reaches the ocean. The Foundation operates a series of floating river traps capturing plastic litter as an innovative waste prevention technique.
“Instead of only focusing on ocean clean-ups, we work to intercept trash at the source in rivers and canals,” described James Scott, Executive Director of the TerraCycle Global Foundation. “Stopping waste upstream keeps it from flowing downstream into seas.”
The plastic recovered from Bangkok’s heavily polluted waterways was processed, sorted, and provided to Virtu Made. The bracelet company then transformed the recycled plastic into vibrant decorative beads, embellishing their distinctive jewelry. Each bracelet thus contains plastic destined for oceans repurposed into an accessory that raises awareness.
“We’re not just cleaning up waste; we’re crafting lasting change by giving plastics new life,” explained Dedola. “These bracelets showcase the possibility of reusing materials harming our planet.”
See also: 2023 UN Roadmap for Reducing Plastic Waste.
Proceeds from Virtu Made sales fund the removal and recycling of additional waste by the Foundation. The start-up aims to extract one pound of garbage from waterways for every bracelet purchased by customers. This funding model allows Virtu Made to scale its environmental impact.
“Our partnership with Virtu Made catalyzes and expands our collection and recycling programs,” said Scott. “More waste can be captured with their support, converting trash into beautiful and meaningful jewelry.”
Since its founding, Virtu Made has supported the extraction of over 100,000 pounds of plastic from rivers through its financing partnership with the Foundation. The brand’s founders expect its latest recycled bracelet line to further drive its ocean waste removal efforts.
Plastic waste entering the earth’s waters has snowballed into a global crisis. Researchers estimate up to 2.4 million metric tons of plastic waste flow down rivers into oceans annually. The Sea Education Association documented plastic marine debris in over 90% of worldwide sites sampled.
Once in oceans, plastic trash accumulates in massive garbage patches and slowly decomposes into microplastics ingested throughout the food chain. The flood of non-biodegradable plastics decimates marine life, threatens ecosystems and human health, and inundates beaches.
Environmental groups worldwide have urgently called for stemming the waste deluge from its river sources. “Efforts to stop plastics from reaching oceans in the first place is crucial,” contends John Smith, an oceans campaigner with Greenpeace. “Once in the seas, plastics become costly and difficult to remove with little impact on the vast scale of pollution.”
“The most effective intervention is preventing plastic from ever flowing down rivers by capturing it first,” Smith emphasized. “Otherwise, we are left trying to clean up an ever-escalating mess after the fact.”
The TerraCycle Global Foundation conducts research and pilots approaches to intercept river waste before it becomes ocean waste optimally. The Foundation custom-designs floating litter traps DEPLOYED IN polluted urban canals to filter and collect plastic passively from the water.
The group also partners with communities to organize riverbank plastic cleanup efforts. Recovered materials are sorted then recycled or upcycled into consumer products and art pieces to fund further collections.
Virtu Made decided the Foundation’s hands-on waste prevention and creative recycling aligned with its values. Both entities hope to involve consumers in solutions through upcycled bracelets that FINANCIALLY support trash removal.
“Our shared vision stewards waterways by stemming the waste flowing downstream,” explained Scott. “We can replicate this model around the world to stop plastic pollution from degrading our most vital resource – water.”
