Local pioneers of sustainable gifts at Ecotribo have kindly donated some of their wares for sale in the Underfall Cafe. Pop in to pick up one of Ecotribo’s beautifully crafted carabiners, which were made from the Floating Harbour’s own leftover plastic rope! Volunteer writer Amanda Schlicht visited their market stall to learn more…
Recently, at the Underfall Market, I had the pleasure of meeting Tyrone from Ecotribo, a business that establishes a new precedent for sustainable gifting by converting plastic ghost nets from coastal British beaches into carbineers, park benches, plant pots, and more. Tyrone Probert, the founder of the start-up and a former Art Director, shifted from the marketing industry to working with renewable sources and sustainable coastline clean-ups across the UK.
Knowledgeable and passionate about sustainability, he did not shy away from the visitors’ curiosity about their stunning products. I had the opportunity to buy one of Ecotribo’s carabiners – a new sustainable staple to my keychain – and asked him about the company’s creative process.
Tyrone explained the necessary stages in creating these products, the first one being the “Restore” stage. Incredibly, his small teams remove the ghost nets by hand, taking the forgotten plastics onto their small kayaks and sailing boats, to reach even the smallest, illusive passages our coastline has to offer. It is through collaborative work with costal cleaning charities that they can return these corners of paradise to their natural state. His next step is the “Recovery” process, through transporting the rescued nets back to shore, to be shredded, sorted, and reprocessed into raw material. The final stage produces sustainable art, melting the plastic polymers and injecting the substance into design molds, leaving a lasting purpose through careful design and usability.
Currently, Ecotribo has recovered 20 tons of plastic from British oceans, and plans a future through advancements in 3D printing, extending to recycled oyster shells and translucent materials. Furthermore, the project donates 10% of its profits to coastal cleanup charities for marine conservation and outreach, expanding offshore rehabilitation to willing conservationists — I believe that is a movement we can all get behind!
Ecotribo have donated 50 of their carabiners to Underfall Yard Trust for sale in the Visitor Centre. Functional yet beautiful, they make wonderful gifts so hurry before they run out!
All proceeds from the carabiners will go to supporting the Recovery and Reinstatement Project at Underfall Yard. Thank you so much to the Ecotribo team for their generous support.
This article was written by volunteer writer Amanda Schlicht and reviewed by Underfall Yard Trust. Click here to read more about the Yard’s volunteering program…