OceanSafe – a paradigm shift in the textile industry

OceanSafe sparks a paradigm shift in the textile industry: Where no toxic constituents are added, none can be released! All OceanSafe products are 100% biodegradable and turn into nutrients for future generations.

When looking at the entire value chain of a product, toxic (harmful) substances and their permitted limits should not only be minimised, but rather eliminated entirely. The development of non-toxic textiles is an essential component in achieving a sustainable positive effect for humans and nature. It is an undisputed fact that our world’s oceans are polluted with microplastic particles, which are a risk for human health when consumed via the food chain.

Radical solutions are needed, not feel-good improvements dressed up in a green gown. OceanSafe’s thinking and actions are radical: Where no toxic substances are added, none can be released either! All OceanSafe products are 100% biodegradable and turn into nutrients after the end of their useful life. A completely closed biological circle in accordance with the Cradle to Cradle^® principle is assured.

We want OceanSafe^TM to become the seal of quality for the sustainable textile industry. At minimum, our brand fulfils the requirements of the Cradle to Cradle Certified^TM Gold certificate – and even those of the Cradle to Cradle Certified^TM Platinum certificate for material health criteria – as well as, in some areas, the strict parameters of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). The cotton-product sewing studios in Turkey are also audited by FairWear.

The moral responsibility as a textile manufacturer

The OceanSafe start-up was founded by the established home-textiles specialist Manuel Schweizer. He has been developing textiles for the interiors sector for decades. In 2013, he began to focus on textiles that are part of the biological cycle.

As a textile expert, he no longer wants to contribute to the increasing use of polyester or to the introduction of additives in natural fibres, which enter the water cycle during the laundry and remain there for hundreds of years.

He acquired a medium-sized company in Germany, which he uses as the platform for his project. His vision is not about being green, but about the future of the textile industry and our planet. “We are the future! Because our thinking and actions are commercially sound, because we develop and produce safe products for the contemporary mainstream, which is characterised by unfettered consumption”, explains Manuel Schweizer. Last but not least, OceanSafe products are not only beautiful and of high quality, but also the nutrients for future generations.

The biological cycle of OceanSafe – closed in every respect!

According to the chemist Prof. Michael Braungart and the American architect William McDonough, who developed the Cradle to Cradle^® concept in a process that took over twenty years, consumer goods should no longer be produced using the linear cradle-to-grave approach, but rather on the basis of circular thinking: if there is no waste, but nutrients for future generations, it can be consumed worry-free. This applies 100% to OceanSafe products.

• The 100% biodegradable OceanSafe textiles are the starting point.
• These textiles are processed into finished products with 100% biodegradable components in audited sewing studios.
• Customers enjoy the sustainably produced OceanSafe products without being exposed to health risks.
• OceanSafe offers customers incentives to return the products at the end of their life cycle.
• OceanSafe converts returned products into nutrients and biogas in an industrial composting process.
• The extracted nutrients are the basis for every new raw material – new OceanSafe products can be made from the selected raw materials.

The OceanSafe range

The range comprises the following groups of materials:

• OS synthetic fibres based on petrochemicals, biodegradable
• OS natural fibres, cotton and linen, biodegradable
• OS accessories – curtain riders, buttons, hooks, straps, clasps, biodegradable

New: natural fibres from organic hemp, 100% made in Germany.

Fully developed and submitted for patenting:

• The world’s first synthetic, flame-retardant textile fibre based on the new polymer, which is 100% biodegradable and developed by OceanSafe.

The following collections are already on the market:

• The first and only bedlinen and terrycloth line that has been awarded the Cradle to Cradle Certified^TM Gold certificate.
• The world’s only curtain collection that has achieved light fastness 6, is dimensionally stable, on par or better than the quality of polyester products, biodegradable and Cradle to Cradle^TM Gold certified.

Furniture store Möbel Pfister in Switzerland stocks OceanSafe bedlinen and, since November 2019, also the terrycloth product line. Bedding specialist Betten Reiter in Austria started stocking a variety of

OceanSafe bedlinen, decorative cushions and pillows, table linen and curtain in autumn 2019, while the first two major furniture chains are getting on board in Germany.

A collection of printed fabrics will be released in spring 2020, with the furniture fabric collection following in early summer 2020.

Investing in the OceanSafe movement

OceanSafe is unique with regard to the depth and breadth of the range– with four world-firsts. Today, OceanSafe is found mainly in-home textiles. But in the future, all textile products can proudly display the OceanSafe badge! To harness this enormous potential, the OceanSafe start-up is looking for additional investors.

Source

OceanSafe, press release, 2020-02-04.

Supplier

International Working Group on Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS IWG)
OceanSafe

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