A unique new piece of garden furniture – the first of its kind made from recycled ocean plastic waste – will take pride of place in a special exhibition at Cornwall’s Eden Project, revealing the incredible story behind its journey from polluting sea plastic to the latest innovation in eco-friendly style that’s set to take the garden retail industry by storm.
The DuraOcean® chair from LifestyleGarden®, which has been crafted from recycled fishing nets, ropes and plastic waste salvaged from the world’s oceans, will be showcased in a replica beach exhibit in Eden’s Mediterranean biome. An industry first that raises the bar in terms of sustainability, two further DuraOcean® chairs will be available for visitors to relax in while surveying the exhibit – complete with swing tags that tell the tale of the chair’s remarkable journey.
It is estimated that up to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic is discarded into the world’s oceans each year. Hundreds of tonnes of ‘ghost fishing gear’ – the type of waste that is now being recovered from oceans and transformed into DuraOcean® chairs – is lost, abandoned or thrown into the sea each year. Often made from non-biodegradable synthetic materials, ocean waste poses a major risk to marine wildlife.
The coastal exhibit at Eden will reveal the horrific extent of waste that washes-up every year on a similar size beach in Cyprus. Discarded fishing gear has a devastating effect on marine life, with entanglement being one of the biggest causes of turtle mortality. In just one year, on an actual beach in Cyprus, 3,033kg of plastic waste – including 314 items of plastic, 69.7 pieces of large plastic, 50.3 plastic bags and 38.4 bottle tops washed ashore. In fact, plastics account for 95% of the waste in the open sea, on the seabed and on beaches across the Mediterranean. This waste comes mainly from Turkey and Spain, followed by Italy, Egypt and France. These shocking figures also do not include microplastics that accumulate deep in the sand.
Eden’s hard-hitting exhibit will be the perfect venue to introduce the DuraOcean® chair to visitors, revealing how ocean waste is being transformed into eco-friendly furniture. Ever since the Eden Project opened its doors after the Millennium, the educational charity has embarked on a mission to reconnect humans to the living world, exploring how we can work together to create a better future. Eden’s ethos blends perfectly with that of ScanCom, parent company of LifestyleGarden®, which is led by the motto ‘Doing Business the Right Way’. ScanCom and LifestyleGarden® are committed to tackling the global issue of recovering ocean plastic and transforming it into sustainable furniture.
CEO of Eden Project International, David Harland, said: “We’re proud to be working with LifestyleGarden® on telling the story of this incredible new DuraOcean® chair. The issue of ocean plastics is one of the defining environmental challenges of our age and we hope this beautiful piece of garden furniture will help raise awareness of the problem.”
With up to 100,000 marine creatures killed by plastic pollution each year, environmental issues and sustainability are rising up the public agenda, driving demand for genuinely green products that are kind to the planet. Each DuraOcean® chair is made from recycled marine waste, and its legs comprise of Brazilian FSC-approved eucalyptus. Unique in design while being robust and durable, the DuraOcean® chair is built to last – and even at the end of its life, the chair can be fully recycled, minimising its impact on the environment.
Paul Cohen, Sales Director at LifestyleGarden® said: “With its worldwide reputation for commitment to conservation and sustainability, the Eden Project is the perfect platform to unveil the DuraOcean® chair, revealing the thought-provoking story behind its transformation from floating ocean waste to the ultimate in stylish furniture. The story behind the DuraOcean® chair will chime with eco-conscious consumers who increasingly demand products with proven green credentials.”
The exhibit featuring the DuraOcean® chair will build on LifestyleGarden®’s exclusive partnership with the Eden Project, which will see the company’s furniture ranges supported by the Eden Project’s instantly recognisable branding. New Eden Project ranges, available for the 2020 season, will provide retailers with a unique selling point, while buyers will be able to see the new LifestyleGarden® and Eden Project ranges at this summer’s SOLEX exhibition, which takes place from 9th-11th July at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre.
Find out more
To find out more about the DuraOcean® chair and its accompanying Nassau range of FSC Eucalyptus tables, please contact LifestyleGarden® via www.lifestylegarden.com.
Find out more about ScanCom and its commitment to a more sustainable future by visiting www.scancom.net
Further details about the Ocean Recovery Project can be found at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/get-involved/volunteer/ocean-recovery-project.
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For more information, interviews or images please contact:
Kimberley Hornby, Lifestyle Garden PR Team, Hornby Whitefoot PR
Tel: 07851 610573 Email: kimberley@hornbywhitefootpr.co.uk