Sea Sense Flops make 100% rubber flops that would biodegrade if you lose them in the sea (profits help to collect plastic bottles from polluted waterways and coastlines). These are shock-absorbing and waterproof, with no ‘uncomfortable toe rub’ like with cheaper plastic brands. And at end of use, you can send them back for recycling.
Waves Flip Flops are also made from natural rubber, which acts like memory foam, moulding to your feet to offer support.Most flops are made from PVC (a toxic plastic) so don’t biodegrade if you lose one in a wave, or it drops off a boat. Most ‘recycled’ flops are made with car tyres, which also contain plastic, so the same occurs (if you use these, wear them around the garden but not at the beach).
Around the world, 3 billion people wear flops, because they are affordable, comfortable and practical. But most only last around 2 years (apparently 25% of our ocean plastic is made up of disgarded flops). These break down into millions of microplastics, which then get eaten by filter feeding marine wildilfe, which then die. Create a flop recycling amnesty with Terracycle that makes a one-off charge to let everyone recycle unwanted flops.
The founder of Ocean Sole (which recovers flops to make beautiful art), once discovered an entire beach covered in flops with dead fish and turtles (who could not even come to land to lay their eggs, as there was no room among the discarded footwear). On Australian’s paradise Cocos Keeling Islands, a recent torrent of debris washed up, with close to million plastic shoes (mostly flops) being found on the beach.
