Tide Ocean SA

 

 

 

#tide is based in Switzerland and produces raw material from ocean-bound plastic for plastic production. It all started when company founder Thomas Schori investigated the possibility of using ocean plastic for watch straps. Together with the University of Applied Sciences Switzerland, he developed he developed a solution to regenerate ocean-bound plastic by salt water, sand and UV radiation.

Since 2019, #tide has been providing ocean-bound plastic granules, yarn and filament to brands and companies across all industries, and has won a number of innovation awards around the world for its use.

But #tide is much more than just a recycling company, it is also a label for social and environmental sustainability and transparency. #tide sources most of its plastic in Thailand, on five islands in the Andaman Sea inhabited by the Moken, a semi-nomadic fishing people who used to spend most of their time on the water in their traditional longtail boats. Overfishing and political reasons forced the Moken to abandon their traditional lifestyle. Most had to settle down and find other ways to make a living. The Jan & Oscar Foundation, a Swiss non-profit organisation, supports the Moken by building schools, training and employment.

The fishermen collect the plastic and bring it to the social enterprise in Ranong, where it is sorted, washed and shredded. For every kilogram of plastic, #tide pays both the fishermen and the social enterprise a fair sum. In the truest sense of the word: #tide gives waste a value.

In this way, #tide not only secures a steady source of raw material, but also contributes to the development of a resilient waste management infrastructure with high participation of the local population. This is the first and most important step on the long road to definitively solving plastic pollution.

Just by replacing the new plastic within a supply chain with #tide ocean material®, the CO2 emissions associated with the plastic can be reduced by up to 80%. This even helps to solve another major problem of our time.