Costa Sunglasses Untangled Collection

We came across a product that really opened our eyes to the big picture of an even bigger problem that so many of our waterways around the world face: pollution.

Costa Sunglasses has teamed up with Bureo, the pioneer in recycled fishnet products, to turn discarded fishing nets into quality sunglass frames the Untangled Collection was born.

Discarded fishing nets and gear account for ten percent of ocean plastic pollution, which grows by an estimated 640,000 tons every year.

"Healthy oceans have always been a crucial part of our core mission at Costa," said Holly Rush, CEO, Costa Sunglasses. "The Untangled Collection is helping to raise awareness and provide a solution to keep discarded fishing nets from being lost in our oceans each year. Through this important program, we will also help Bureo scale and replicate its net collection program to a growing number of fishing communities."

The Untangled Collection will include a total of four new frame styles from 100 percent recycled fishing nets, each featuring mineral glass polarized lenses, recycled aluminum Costa logos, plus foam recyclable temple and nose pads, and a unique tumbled finish. The collection will feature two male/unisex styles, Pescador and Baffin; and two female styles, Victoria and Caldera. All styles come with Costa's premium, patented 580 Lighwave Glass lenses the clearest, sharpest, UV protecting lense out there.

"Aligning with partners that really want to support us and expand our mission is how we've grown over the past five years," said David Stover, CEO and co-founder of Bureo. "Working with Costa to develop the Untangled Collection is another step in the right direction - not only for us, but for the replication of solutions to secure a healthy future for our ocean and its ecosystems."

Bureo's Net+Positive recycling program is an awesome idea. By working directly with fishermen, they collect back discarded fishing nets that would most likely be thrown into the oceans and provide funds to the local communities for every pound of fishing net collected. Costa's Untangled Collection supports Bureo's ongoing efforts where they have collected more than 220,000 pounds of discarded fishing nets to date.

Once the nets are collected, they are then washed and prepared for a mechanical recycling process. During this process, they are shredded and fed through a pelletizer where they are melted and cut into small recycled pellets. From there the pellets are injected into steel molds to form the finished product.

The Untangled Collection retails from $199 to $269.

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