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Recycling Marine Plastic into Clothing Apparel via Global Collaborations
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This paper describes initiatives to collect marine plastic waste and convert it into clothing apparel through international collaborations, presenting this as an approach to both cleaning up ocean plastic and creating commercial value. While recycling marine plastic into textiles diverts waste from the ocean, washing synthetic fabrics made from recycled plastic releases microfibers that re-enter water systems. The paper does not address this recycling paradox.
Abstract: According to the United Nations, aquatic pollution affects at least 800 species worldwide, with plastic responsible for up to 80% of the waste. Every minute, up to 13 million metric tonnes of plastic is expected to end up in the ocean, the equivalent of a trash or garbage truck load. Plastic is a design failure; it was never intended to end up in animals' stomachs or at the bottom of the food chain in humans. The fashion industry is a massive contributor to the plastic waste found in the oceans and so it becomes necessary for corporations to take sustainable steps in the direction of reducing Ocean Plastic Pollution. One of the ways to do so would be by recycling ocean plastic into clothes. Our study focuses on analysing global collaborations and suggesting a series of steps for recycling ocean plastic. Keywords: Marine Plastic, Recycling, Supply Chain, Plastic Pollution, Polymers
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.