Ocean bound plastic refers to plastic that is bound for (or heading to) the ocean. This could literally mean plastic at any stage of its life, but we generally use the term to refer to plastic collected within 50 kilometres from the coast. Most ocean plastic originates within this distance. The bottom line – it is not actually plastic pulled directly from the water used to make these products (the impression given by large-scale marketing campaigns run by companies such as Adidas).
No certification organisation exists to accurately determine a product’s composition of ocean-bound versus ‘ocean-direct’ plastic, so it’s completely up to you – the consumer – to do the research. Before you buy something, make sure that you know what you are buying. Ask the uncomfortable questions and seek transparency, detail and evidence of a company’s claims.
Problems with ocean plastic
So why isn’t genuine recycled ocean plastic used in more products? There are a range of reasons, which we’ll list below.
