Say what? You can actually shop and save the planet at the same time? Sounds unbelievable, right? Well, not really.

Over the past few years, talk on climate change and conversations about saving the environment have increased and thank God for that. More and more brands, celebrities and people are lending their voice and platform to this most important of causes.

While the basics like reducing carbon footprint by car-pooling and ensuring there is little or no water wastage, is important in our day-to-day lives, it is equally crucial that we pay attention to the things we put on our backs and the shoes we wear on our feet. Our caps, glasses, shoes and bags can often become the very trash we warn others about.

Keeping that in mind, there are brands which are trying to ‘reclaim’ the plastic in the ocean and turning them into wearable products.

Indiatimes reports that Adidas used excavation machines to retrieve almost 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris from the ocean and used that to make shoes. 7000 shoes were made out of the plastic collected. While this is commendable, we need to focus on the fact that trillion pieces of plastic debris could make only 7000 shoes.

Again, American Express partnered with Parley to launch a first-of-its-kind credit card which was made primarily out of plastic waste found in the oceans. These cards will be available within the next 12 months, according to a press release sent out by the company.

The news website also states that local eyewear makers, Genusee in Flint, Michigan used the plastic that was contaminating their water to make sunglasses. Not only are these shades stylish, but a single pair is equivalent to 15 plastic bottles. How amazing is that? Vogue.com reports that each pair is made from post-consumer plastic pellets, which are then melted down and molded into frames.

And it’s not just clothing and accessories, companies are also using trash to create sporting goods. Fishing nets are a huge issue with meters and meters of them being left near the shore. These nets capture sea creatures they are not even meant for and death can come slowly and painfully for those unfortunate enough to be caught in them. Hence, a California-based company called Ghost Longboards used these nets to create skateboards, reports Indiatimes.

The website further reports that a company called 4ocean is also using plastic waste and marine debris to make jewellery. So far, they have apparently removed 8,15,161 pounds of trash from the ocean.

(Header image credit: @genusee on instagram)