While it’s difficult to ascertain just how much plastic debris enters the world’s oceans every year, it’s estimated that 8 million metric tons of such waste ended up under the sea in 2010 alone. It’s an environmental tragedy—but also an opportunity for designers to make something good out of this enormous waste. And that’s exactly what Tom Ford is doing.
After an initial tease in September, the American brand is launching its Ocean Plastic Timepiece, the first luxury watch made from 100 percent recycled ocean plastic, according to the brand. Every example of this Swiss-made model removes the equivalent of 35 bottles of plastic waste from the ocean and comes housed in recyclable packaging.
“Sustainability is a key issue in our lives right now,” Ford said in a statement. “In particular, the amount of ocean plastic that we are generating is perhaps taking the greatest toll on our environment of all. For every 1000 Ocean Plastic Timepieces we produce and sell, we permanently remove and prevent 490 pounds of plastic waste from entering the ocean.”