North Sails Apparel renews its collaboration with Coral Gardenersa French Polynesian organization dedicated to coral reef restoration, and launches a sustainable beachwear capsule collection made from organic materials to support coral regeneration.
Half of the Earth’s coral reefs have already been destroyed or severely damaged in the last 30 years due to aggressive fishing, climate change and pollution. If nothing is done, by 2050 coral reefs will be the first ecosystem on Earth to completely collapse. Although they cover less than 2% of the ocean floor, they are characterized by a very high biodiversity, contain more than 25% of marine life forms and produce more than 50% of the oxygen we breathe.
North Sails Apparel has been with Coral Gardeners since 2021, and in the past year alone, the association has doubled the number of corals planted in one year.
This year, North Sails has created a capsule collection of clothing and accessories for the sea, inspired by the corals that it is committed to saving every day. The shorts and swimsuits are in recycled polyamide recovered from production waste; the hats and bags are made of 100% organic cotton, grown without the use of chemical compounds and without wasting water resources, according to high social and working standards for farmers; 100% recycled polyester was instead used for kaftans and sarongs.
“North Sails is committed to giving back to the ocean and is constantly acting to truly be an Ocean Positive brand. The goal is not just to maintain, but to protect and regenerate our seas. For this reason, we work closely with Coral Gardeners to ensure we play a significant role in advancing climate change adaptation solutions and building resilient coral reefs. At North Sails, we support the global goal of protecting at least 30% of the world‘s oceans and all the biodiversity that depends on healthy seas by 2030”declares Mădălina Preda, Chief Sustainability Officer of North Sails.
“This new capsule collection draws inspiration from the coral reefs we are trying to save and has been produced respecting our company guidelines which help product and design teams to select the most environmentally responsible materials on the market”Preda added.
2023 marks the third chapter of the collaboration between Coral Gardeners and North Sails, which in view of its ongoing work with the NGO, has already promoted the creation of two coral nursery in Thiaia. These nursery they act as gene banks and offer numerous and precious testimonies on the most resistant coral species, helping to grow different varieties of climate-resistant corals, which can restore biodiversity and richness to coral reefs. The corals grown in the nurseries have a survival capacity of 93.5% and have made it possible to regenerate an area of 5,000 m22.
“North Sails is the only company that believed in our vision from the start and whose core values align with ours. From 2021 to 2022 we doubled the number of planted corals (from 15,000 to 31,000). If this is any sign of the direction our organization is taking, partnerships like the one with North Sails have officially put us on the right path to achieving our goal of planting one million corals by 2025. Our mission is to save the reef and the support of North Sails, also thanks to this collection, is essential to increase our contribution and make it as long-lasting as possible”says Titouan Bernicot, founder and CEO of Coral Gardeners.
All the items in the collection have been produced using organic and low-emission materials, to be the perfect result of creativity and technicality, and at the same time raise public awareness and support the regeneration of the coral reef: every consumer, in fact, has the opportunity to adopt a coral from a distance and monitor its growth. Additionally, 20% of the proceeds from the capsule collection will be donated to Coral Gardeners to support the NGO in their goal of planting one million corals by 2025.