Plastic, it's fantastic

There’s more to our new strap collection than just looks. The versatile black and striking blue fabric had a whole other life before their current evolution as watch straps.

The straps are made with #tide ocean material, a high-quality recycled resource made of 100% ocean-bound plastic. In the age of overconsumption, our throwaway culture has lost sight of how useful plastic can be—and the planet certainly doesn’t lack it in quantity. Intercepting and utilising the mass of single-use plastic destined to pollute the oceans is a great benefit to the environment.

Our material supplier, Tide Ocean SA, or #tide, works with fishermen and local communities on Asian and American coastlines—some of the areas most affected by plastic pollution—to collect waste from uncontrolled landfills and coastlines. This is then sorted by type and pressed into bales.

After that, the plastic is shredded, cleaned, and turned into granules. This process was developed in collaboration with a specialised branch of Switzerland’s University, the Institute for Materials Technology and Plastics Processing (IWK), to ensure the new material is high quality and without virgin plastics.

#tide ocean material is a unique and durable product that can be used for a wide range of new applications, from automotive parts to watch straps. It’s worth noting that using (or buying) recycled material isn’t a perfect solution, as all plastic products produce microplastics. Additionally, fabrics made from recycled plastic are harder to put back into the system compared to something like a bottle lid, which can be recycled up to 10 times. #tide’s process differs from most recycled fabrics because the waste is sourced directly from heavily polluted areas, rather than existing recycling systems.

Recycled materials are one area of progress but are not a silver bullet for over-consumption. Reducing use, taking care of the products you already own, and opting for natural materials where possible are all equally crucial steps.

Transparency is a key part of #tide’s ethos—a value we share at Paulin, especially in a culture of green-washing for profit. If you would like to read more about their supply chain, we’d recommend visiting their website.

These new straps are available now in 18mm and 20mm, RRP £45 (£54 including VAT).