FAQ

We are able to confirm that 95% of the sunglasses’ frames are made with certified HDPE plastic recovered in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and that the remaining contents are colorants and additives that are needed in production. Some parts of the glasses use virgin materials, such as the lenses made of virgin polycarbonate (PC), to assure the very best quality and protection for your eyes.

Confirmed by our manufacturer Safilo, the sunglasses are designed to be easily switched out for prescription (sunglass) lenses by your local optician. The lenses can easily be clicked out and new lenses can be inserted. However, alterations to the product (such as inserting prescription lenses) will also void the warranty.

The sunglasses are equipped with polarized category 3 lenses with UV-400. The lenses are not made of recycled plastic, but a virgin polycarbonate (PC) to assure the very best quality and protection for your eyes.

We are so sorry to hear this! There are several things you can try:

• Make sure you use good light when scanning the QR code so that your camera can find a good contrast.
• Try zooming in on your camera rather than holding your phone closer to the QR code. If you hold your phone too close, the camera might have difficulties to focus.
• Use an app for QR code scanning. There are various free apps available in the different app stores. These apps are more specialized than your camera scanner.

If none of these options worked, you can contact us through our contact form

The frame came in a navy shade, which mimics waves and the ocean. The hinges and brand plate with your unique QR Code on it are made in our iconic turquoise blue. This QR code leads to your unique account page, and if ever the glasses are lost, it can be scanned to connect to the lost & found feature. The lenses are category 3, polarized, and offer UV 400 protection – so perfect for a day at the beach! They are also designed to be easily switched out for prescription (sunglass) lenses with your local optician.

The sunglasses are a unisex model, with the measurements (in mm) 52/21/140. The first measure, 52 refers to the ‘eye size’, which is the width of the part of the frame that holds the lens. The bridge width of 21 refers to the width of the part that goes over the nose. The arms of the frame: 140 refer to the temple length. To see if this size works for you, either look at a pair of (sun)glasses that you currently own, or try a similar size to see how it fits you.

By scanning the QR code on The Ocean Cleanup Sunglasses, you can see your impact with access to more background information about the project and the product – where some of the plastic was caught and when. This page tells the story of our mission to clean an area of 500,000 football fields with this first series of products made with plastic collected in the GPGP. The QR code also allows you to amplify your impact by showing to the world that you support our mission and encourage others to join as well.

There is an option to register your sunglasses to your account, which will personalize the shareable page. Registering your sunglasses will also enable the lost & found feature – whenever someone finds your sunglasses, scans the QR code, and contacts us, we can then contact you to reunite you with your sunglasses.

We worked with Yves Béhar to come up with a unisex and timeless design. Safilo took the design concept and industrialized it, while also ensuring that the material and finish brought the design vision to life.

We put a lot of thought into what the ideal first product would be. Inspired by Boyan’s idea to make a product that provides our supporters with a tangible way to join in our mission and to give them something that they could proudly wear to show their contribution to cleaner oceans. Sunglasses made sense: there is a natural connection to the ocean, they are a product that almost everyone can use, and they are made to last. With the proceeds from each product reinvested into our continued cleanup operations, each pair of sunglasses will make a tangible impact towards clean oceans.

The most important difference is that the material our product is made of is certified by an independent third party (DNV) to have come from the ocean. Most ‘ocean plastic’ is plastic recovered from a variety of origins – sometimes from the ocean but often from shorelines, or even from rivers or on land, with the qualification ‘ocean bound’, without a formal third-party certification.

We want to give the plastic collected from the ocean a new life and it is our responsibility to design a product that has a negligible chance of ending up back in the ocean. We recognize that the ocean plastic we collect is not simply trash, but a valuable material that should not be used and thrown away. With this product we will not only give our supporters the chance to take part in the cleanup and maximize our impact, but we can help show that this plastic, when used responsibly, is far more than a cheap disposable material.

By making something from discarded plastic that you value, that is durable, and that you want to keep and will love to take care of, we are ensuring that this plastic has the least chance of re-entering the oceans.

We trust that our supporters will do their part by taking ownership of it and help us create new stories where plastic used to be, turning pollution into products and therefore adding value. The sunglasses are also designed to be recyclable, which means they are not becoming waste again.

In the unfortunate event that someone loses their sunglasses, the QR code can help us re-unite the product and its owner. We call this Lost & Found. To ensure that your sunglasses are included in this program, you can create an account and register your sunglasses.

If the product ever reaches the end of its use, it was designed to be recycled. This is how you can do it:

THE FRAME

The frame is made from HDPE originating from ghost nets collected in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

THE CASE

The case is made primarily from HDPE originally used in our first ocean system, Wilson.

THE HINGES

They are made of stainless steel. The plates and hinges are made of recycled stainless steel.

THE POUCH

The sunglasses were manufactured according to ISO 12312. In relation to the material requirements of this quality standard, and adherence to worldwide manufacturing regulation, we conducted extensive testing to ensure that the material is safe to use for sunglasses. All tests were conducted through an independent testing lab and were shown to meet established requirements.

We are happy you are asking this important question! Should the sunglasses reach the end of their use, they have been designed to be easily disassembled and recycled. The unique features of the sunglasses, such as the hinges, were designed to make this an easy process. Each component of the sunglasses – frames, lenses, metal parts – can be separated and recycled according to material type.

Based on their experience with other well-established chain-of-custody models, DNV created an entirely new standard for harvested ocean plastic. With the newly established chain of custody standard, we can confirm the origin of the plastic retrieved from any body of water. More specifically, in our case, this allows the plastic used in the products to have its origin and authenticity verified by an independent third party.

The standard brought by DNV is a chain of custody model; more specifically, it is an identity-preserved model (IPM); an IPM provides the highest level of traceability and integrity in a chain of custody model. Followers of the IPM established by DNV are required to prove the source of the material and that it has not been mixed with other materials; this is done by confirming three main components: material integrity, traceability, and mass balance.

Read more about the standard here

Plastix (recycling), Beologic (compounding), Intertek (quality management), DNV (chain of custody), Yves Béehar (creative design), Safilo (manufacturing), Flex (logistics) , AVR (sorting), Holland Colors (coloring), Van werven (recycling Wilson), Ecomatters (regulatory affairs)

The Ocean Cleanup Sunglasses frames are shaped through injection molding. This way of manufacturing allows to work very precisely and to produce less scrap.

Before we could mold the plastic into its new form to become a product (The Ocean Cleanup Sunglasses), it required a small but necessary amount of additives, such as stabilizers and pigment. These additives allow the material to achieve the performance and technical characteristics required for manufacturing while at the same time create a beautiful, ocean-inspired aesthetic for the product. The metal in the frames was added for more stability, good display and readability of the logo and the QR code.

If you would like your Sunglasses account data to be removed, please reach out to us via our contact form and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

There are a number of ways you can access your account.

• To access your account for the first time, you will need to setup an account with the email address that you used while purchasing your sunglasses. You can do so here.
• If you have already created an account, you can access it here.
• If you have received a pair of sunglasses as gift, you can also setup and access your account by scanning the unique QR code.

To change your password, visit the password reset page, and enter the email used for your account. You should receive an email to reset your password shortly after. If you experience any troubles, please contact us.

You can find all information on how your data is used in our privacy policy here.
For account specific details, see paragraph 6 (six).

If you found a pair of sunglasses, please contact us via our contact form, and we will try to connect you to the owner of that specific pair.

If you lose your sunglasses and want to have the possibility of being reunited with them, we have a solution. You can connect the sunglasses to your account by scanning the QR code on the inside of the frame. Should they become lost, the finder can scan the QR code to see instructions on how to get in touch with us. We will be able to see in our database that the sunglasses belong to you, so we can then reach out to find out how you would like them returned to you.

This is all optional – you can certainly enjoy your sunglasses without taking this step. By scanning the QR code without linking them to you, you will still see a page detailing the project and the impact of your support.

100% of the product’s proceeds will fund the continuation of the cleanup.

We are a non-profit – this will not change. We have always said we are a project, and we do not want to be the garbage people of the ocean forever. We want to put ourselves out of business – when the oceans are clean, we will no longer need to exist.

Depending on where you have bought your product from, your invoice display different line items. In both cases the net profits of the product will be reinvested in the cleanup mission. For payments made in Europe, we recommend you keep this invoice if you indent to deduct the donation portion.
Europe:

• Product price – this includes product costs and average shipping cost, and VAT where applicable.
• Donation – this amount will go directly to our Netherlands-based Stichting The Ocean Cleanup, and is tax deductible where applicable. Since tax laws vary by country and region, you should consult a tax professional or review the laws for your area to determine whether a donation is tax-deductible.

US:

• Product price
• Taxes where applicable.

Thank you for taking part in the journey from trash to treasure. While we are sorry to hear that you would like to return the sunglasses, we understand that you may wish to return them. You can return your product in the following cases:

• You can return the sunglasses for any reason within 14 days after the delivery date. The cost of returning the product is at your own expense. For more information on the 14-day return right, see the next question.
• If you have a claim under the warranty with a defective product and if – after consulting with us – we conclude that the product cannot be easily repaired, we may ask you to return the product to us, for which we will cover the shipping costs. For more information on the warranty, please refer to the specific FAQ, contact us via the contact form.

We have designed and constructed your product with care, and we hope you will enjoy it for a long time. The warranty covers the product against defects resulting from faults in material or workmanship for two years after your purchase. Subject to the Terms and Conditions that apply in the region you live in, this warranty does not affect any statutory right you may have under the laws of the country you live in.

Normal wear and tear, including scratches on the lenses or frame, is excluded from the warranty. Damage due to your acts or omissions or due to an accident, namely damage for which you can be held responsible, does not fall under this warranty. Additionally, alterations to the product (such as inserting prescription lenses) will also void the warranty.

Please note that the material we have used for these sunglasses is different than the (virgin) plastic that is usually used in sunglasses’ frames. We have made the frame with HDPE plastic collected from the ocean. Therefore, small scratches may occur during normal use, and are not a non-conformity. Should you so wish, you can minimize the scratches by placing the sunglasses in their pouch after wearing them.

In case of any defect, you can contact us via the contact form. Please submit your claim as soon as possible after you detect the defect. A clear and accurate description of the claim will help us respond in a swift and appropriate manner.

If we determine that the defect is within reason and covered under the warranty, we will either repair or replace the product free of charge. In case repair or replacement is impossible or undesirable, we will discuss if an appropriate reduction of the price or the return of the product at our costs against a refund of your payment for the product, would be a reasonable solution.

We are sorry to hear that you no longer want your sunglasses.

If it has been longer than 14 days after delivery, we, unfortunately, cannot offer any refund. We welcome you to continue the life of the product by passing the sunglasses on to another person who can enjoy them. If not, they are designed to be recyclable. See how you can do it below, or you can contact us, and we will help to ensure they are properly disposed of.