The Challenge

Plastic waste accounts for approximately 85% of all marine pollution (UNEP, 2023), with over one million tonnes of plastic ending up in the ocean every year (OECD, 2025). If current trends continue, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation projects that plastics could outweigh fish by 2050 (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2025).  Globally, plastic recycling rates remain stubbornly below 10% (Houssini et al, 2025) with most plastic waste landfilled or incinerated. In 2019, plastics generated roughly 1.8 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions—about 3.4% of the global total, comparable to emissions from over 460 coal-fired power plants (OECD, 2025).

A Circular Solution

OceanЯ is a Cork-based, Certified B Corporation apparel company pioneering circular textile manufacturing using marine plastic waste. The company designs garments for organisations working around marine environments, with manufacturing facilities in Latvia, Portugal, and Italy, operating under European labour and safety standards.

Their process begins with collection of plastic waste—primarily bottles and marine debris—which is cleaned and sorted. Plastics are shredded into pellets, melted into fibre, processed into fabric, and spun into high-quality yarn. Garments typically contain 80–90% recycled polyester from reclaimed fishing nets, bottles, or post-consumer waste, with elastane added for stretch as needed. OceanЯ also incorporates GOTS-certified organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, and vegan leather. Buttons and zippers carry OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 certification for safety.

OceanЯ’s Take it Back Programme encourages partners to return garments for repair or recycling. Repairs are offered free when possible; irreparable items are shredded and upcycled into new products, supporting a closed-loop supply chain.

Climate Impact

OceanЯ reports diverting over 1.5 million plastic bottles from oceans and landfills—a best estimate based on company data. By prioritising recycled feedstock, OceanЯ reduces demand for virgin polyester and avoids environmental impacts of new fibre production. The company uses eco-friendly sublimation printing that limits harmful dye emissions and actively trials innovative materials such as Piñatex® (pineapple fibre), pending further life-cycle validation.

Replicability

A circular economy could cut ocean plastic leakage by up to 80% annually and save up to USD $200 billion by 2040 (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2025). Regulations like Extended Producer Responsibility and eco-design accelerate demand for recycled feedstock and end-of-life returns (Gov.ie, 2025). OceanЯ exemplifies a front-runner in Ireland, closing the loop from resource input to reuse.

Other Irish circular textile innovators include:

• Afore After is an Irish fashion brand which creates synthetic-free, mono-material and biodegradable garments designed for circularity from the outset.

  
  

• The Rediscovery Centre runs four reuse social enterprise demonstrators. One of which is Rediscover Fashion which breathes new life into old textiles by repairing, restoring, redesigning and upcycling.

  
  

• The Upcycle Movement is an Irish company transforming waste materials, such as neoprene wetsuits, into durable, high-quality everyday accessories like bags and laptop cases.

  
  

• Cirtex, a CIRCULÉIRE member, upcycles textiles into a range of products, including thermal and acoustic insulation for domestic and commercial use, floor underlay, arena fibre, and insulator pads for mattresses and furniture cushioning.