A UEA student who runs his own eyewear start-up will celebrate World Oceans Day by launching a new pair of sunglasses.
Philosophy, politics and economics student, George Bailey's Coral Eyewear, which makes glasses and sunglasses from abandoned fishing nets will donate £25 from every sale of the new pair to the Marine Conservation Society.
The money raised will be used to help the society campaign for clean seas and beaches, sustainable fisheries, and protection of marine life, whilst raising awareness of World Oceans Day - on June 8 - and its mission to protect and restore the oceans across the globe.
Mr Bailey, 20, started the company in 2019 with the help of UEA’s Student Enterprise Service and a £50,000 investment from the university's enterprise fund.
He said: "The Marine Conservation Society have been a leading voice in protecting our ocean for decades and I'm proud that this partnership will help to strengthen our collective fight against ocean pollution."
The sunglasses, which cost £149 per pair, are bright blue in the company's popular ‘Hector’ design and manufactured with ECONYL which is made with harmful nylon waste such as fishing nets and fabric scraps.
Anne Thwaites, of the Marine Conservation Society, said: “We are delighted to be in partnership with Coral Eyewear who are supporting our vital work towards our vision of a cleaner, better protected, healthier ocean.
"When using recycled materials, it's important we think circularly and the design of these frames does just that. Plus, they look great.”
The society estimates that very year 600,000 tonnes of fishing nets are abandoned in our oceans, taking up to 600 years to break down.
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