Sea Sense: 100% Biodegradable Flip Flops for Good

Aim

Through the sales of our 100% biodegradable flip flops we will stop at least one million plastic bottles from entering our oceans every year

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Our idea stems from years of working, hands-on, in marine conservation; seeing first hand the damage that humans are doing to our oceans, through their use and improper disposal of plastics. We relentlessly campaign for change.

The years of experience combined with the fact that, incredibly, around 25% of plastic pollution found in the ocean is flip flops, gave us a brain wave. Using the world's most popular shoe, we could help solve one of the world's biggest environmental problems.

We believed that if we could design a truly desirable flip flop, then we had a chance of making change happen. We put a call out to Brazil and enlisted the help of the former Havaianas Research and Development Manager, he is really excited to be a part of the Sea Sense project!

It was important to undertake extensive market research, so we could get these flip flops perfect. You told us that the three things most important to you are colour, comfort and durability, and we wanted to deliver on all three of these:

• We asked you which colours you wanted to see, and we have some great options for you to choose from. 
• Unisex flip flops can often fit badly and be cumbersome and uncomfortable, so our women's flip flops have a finer strap compared to the men's, the sole is slightly thinner, making them lighter, less chunky and more feminine. 
• Our flip flops are designed to be worn, not just for their stunning looks; we are so confident that we will replace any flip flops that break through general wear and tear in their first 180 days.

From early on we made the commitment to always make our flip flops from biodegradable natural rubber. It is waterproof whilst providing a supportive, soft and comfortable fit. No more pinching across the top of your foot! Rubber is also incredibly elastic and, when mixed with the right balance of other natural ingredients it ensures your flip flops will be super durable, no matter what you're doing in them!      

We looked into how we can stop plastic from ending up in our oceans. Imagine if your bath was overflowing, you wouldn't start mopping up, you would turn the tap off. With that in mind, the last thing we should be doing is collecting plastic from the ocean. We should be stopping plastic getting into the sea, and that is exactly what the Plastic Bank® does around the world. 

Through their Social Plastic® scheme, the Plastic Bank® have been able to monetise plastic in a number of developing countries, meaning that collectors are able to exchange plastic for vouchers that help buy food and medical supplies as well as pay for education.

Sea Sense Flip Flops will become an Official Supporter of The Plastic Bank®. We will be directing profits from the sales of our flip flops to them; therefore each one of you who decides to buy a pair of our flip flops, will be helping to fund the collection of one million plastic bottles, which equates to 20,000kg of plastic waste.

Our commitment is ambitious, and will look to increase our commitment year on year as the company grows. By 2030 we want to be preventing 10 million plastic bottles entering our oceans.  

Similar to going carbon neutral, the Plastic Bank® also encourages people to pay to go Plastic Positive. The average person consumes 84 kg of plastic per year, and going Plastic Positive ensures the recovery of an equivalent or greater amount of ocean-bound plastic. You can take advantage of this opportunity in a number of our Crowdfunder offers.      

First and foremost we want to prevent plastic reaching our oceans. This is a cause we feel passionate about, and is one which we must act on immediately. However, as a company, Sea Sense Flip Flops also want as little environmental impact as possible when making our flip flops. After months of research we started talking to manufacturers in Vietnam that are focused on rubber production. 

By using natural rubber straight from the rubber tree, we found a sustainable material from which our flip flops can be produced, and also a product that is 100% biodegradable. 

No trees are cut down, the rubber is simply "tapped" from them, and this can be done over again throughout the life cycle of the tree. 

We are running our Crowdfunder with the classic colours which men and women have all told us they like; Iceberg White, Orca Black and Ocean Blue. Our amazing backers will be able to select their preferred colour and size at the conclusion of the campaign. 

Designs may be subject to slight design changes, but will not be radically different to the images presented. 

Men's flip flops are sized UK 8-12 and Women's flip flops are sized UK 3-7.

For more pictures of our flip flops you can check them out on our online shop - all of our flip flops are on there, but the shop will not open for business until after the Crowdfunder has concluded.

If you have any questions please get in touch: [email protected]

This project successfully funded on 29th October 2020