Working to address the problem of marine plastic, YKK announced a new NATULON Ocean Sourced collection of zippers “made from ocean bound plastic.” This premium collection of zippers is made from plastic waste that has been collected within 50 km of the coastline of Sri Lanka.
The NATULON Ocean Sourced collection will debut at ISPO Munich from January 26-29, 2020 in Munich, Germany and The Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show from January 29-31, 2020 in Denver, Colo. The zippers will be available for purchase in Spring 2020.
YKK says NATULON Ocean Sourced are indistinguishable from zippers made of virgin polyester in terms of strength, durability and functionality. At the same time, NATULON Ocean Sourced is helping YKK achieve its goal of further reducing carbon emissions in its manufacturing processes. Globally, YKK has achieved an 8% reduction in carbon emissions since 2013 at its production sites.
“NATULON Ocean Sourced zippers offer the high quality that people expect from YKK while addressing the environmental crisis in our oceans,” said Takashi Tsukumo, Vice President, YKK Corporation Global Marketing Group. “Furthermore, the upcycling of ocean bound plastic into NATULON Ocean Sourced zippers emits less CO2 and requires less energy to produce than zippers made out of virgin polyester.”
With an estimated 80% of all plastic entering the ocean originating from land-based sources (1), preventing it from making its way to the ocean is one of the most effective way to eliminate marine plastic, said YKK.
“YKK has a long history of environmental stewardship, which is an integral part of our ‘Cycle of Goodness’ philosophy. Our Environmental Pledge was signed by our CEO in 1994, and we created NATULON, the first zipper made from recycled PET bottles and polyester remnants, over 25 years ago. Today we offer a wide range of sustainable products and technologies. NATULON Ocean Sourced is just the latest addition to our portfolio of eco-innovation,” says Tsukumo.
