Through our travels, we have witnessed firsthand the devastating scale of the global plastic problem in numerous places. Gorgeous coastal areas and beaches are polluted by tons of plastic waste, which is transported via rivers into the open sea. Coastal areas are especially hard hit by the effects of plastic waste. Here you can learn more about the causes of plastic waste pollution and how we have created an economic solution with our 6 pillars sustainability concept.
Coastal regions as a basis for life
Coastal areas are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on our planet, often populated by corals that provide a fascinating habitat for countless species of tropical fish and rare plants. In total, more than 25% of all marine life lives in coral reefs. Large coral reefs, such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, are already between 5,000 and 10,000 years old.
Coral reefs are not only enormously important habitats, but also balance the global ecosystem. As a giant oxygen-producing organism, corals regulate carbon dioxide levels in the oceans, which when released into the atmosphere massively accelerates climate change. The fascinating organisms of corals are capable of sequestering large amounts of the greenhouse gases - so they play a key role in the fight against climate change!
In addition, about half a billion people are economically dependent on the health of coral reefs and coastal regions. Thus, the drastic reduction of fish stocks due to the loss of coral reef habitats could lead not only to an ecological crisis, but also to an economic crisis. However, the tons of plastic in particular pose a key threat to marine protected areas.
What is the reason for the enormous plastic problem?
Western countries such as Germany advertise showcase recycling rates, but the reality is anything but encouraging. In 2020, an estimated 986,000 tons of plastic waste were transported across German borders, according to the German Association of Waste Management, Water and Raw Materials (BDE).
The environmental protection organization Greenpeace criticizes the fact that large parts of the exported waste are not tracked and it is completely unclear where the plastic waste ends up. However, the numbers speak for themselves - since the early 1950s, it is estimated that more than 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced. About 60% of that plastic ended up either in a landfill or in our oceans.
Pacific island nations as epicenter for plastic waste
Developing island nations in the Pacific are particularly hard hit by the consequences of the waste problem. As land becomes scarce due to rising sea levels, space for already controversial landfills is also dwindling, resulting in enormous amounts of plastic waste being transported into surrounding waters. The local population has no functioning waste system, which is why they urgently need support in waste management.
Bali/ Indonesia is known as a global epicenter for plastic waste - but the main reason is that industrialized countries like Germany dump tons of plastic waste into the Southeast Pacific region every year.
LANASIA's contribution against plastic pollution
Since our inception, we have been actively promoting sustainable business development and a conscious shift in the way society thinks. Besides using recycled fabrics for our swim and fitness fashion, we also follow a sustainability concept based on 6 pillars. As part of our awareness blogposts, we regularly introduce you to exciting contributions from the slow fashion world and sensitize you to the topic of environmental protection.
Our 6 pillars sustainability concept
As a young company, we follow a holistic sustainability concept based on 6 pill ars. This includes the use of sustainable fabrics, social engagement, fair production, sustainable packaging and logistics, the calculation and reduction of our ecological footprint and the expansion of our Community of Consciousness.
Collections made from recycled materials
Our founding idea is therefore based on the use of recycled marine plastic, which we use for our sustainable fitness and swimwear. We want to prove that sustainability is anything but boring - but sexy and innovative! After all, the existing amount of plastic is not disappearing from our planet - but it needs to be removed from the environment and used in innovative ways.
The benefits of recycling
Recycling doesn't just help initiatives recover plastic waste from the oceans. Using recycled materials also uses significantly fewer natural resources - water, CO2 and crude oil can be saved. Because the fact is, if used materials are not recycled, intensive mining and forestry is required to extract the fresh raw material from the earth.
Recycling therefore helps to conserve important resources and protect the natural habitats of our planet.
Special properties of our fabrics
The fabrics used for all our LANASIA collections of sustainable swim, beach and fitness fashion are made of recycled ECONYL® or REPREVE®. Special features of our fabrics used are especially the high resistance to environmental influences, such as UV radiation, chlorinated water or salt water.
Our swim and beachwear reflects sunlight in a special way and offers UV protection for our sensitive skin. The high resistance to environmental influences maintains the luminosity of the colors of our products for a long time - completely in the sense of slow fashion, because all our collections are designed under the claim of longevity and timelessness.
Our fitness collections benefit equally from the special nature of recycled fabrics: the robust, ultra-quick drying and elastic material characterizes our sportswear and thus offers ideal freedom of movement for demanding activities!
As a start-up fashion label, we take great pride in using toxin-free and recycled materials to make our collections as durable, human-ecological and eco-friendly as possible. We believe that as a young company, we have an important role to play in establishing these standards in the company culture and inspiring consumers and businesses to make environmental protection a cornerstone in their way of thinking.
We only have one blue planet and our task is to protect it collectively and in the best possible way.
Let's create a wave of change together!