This archive report was first published on 24 August 2021.
On the shores of Mombasa's beaches, a team of determined entrepreneurs has discovered a business opportunity in the midst of an eyesore. According to the Smithsonian Institute, the team behind the Ocean Sole project aims to protect the environment and the lives of sea animals by turning waste into art.
Founded in Kenya and the United States, Ocean Sole employs over 100 artisans, most of whom are trained as wood carvers. The team collects abandoned flip-flops along the ocean shores, cleans them, and glues their rubber soles into blocks. These blocks are then sculpted into animal shapes, jewelry, keychains, and more.
Some of the products created by Ocean Sole include giraffes, starfish, carmels, regular fish, elephants, and antelopes. In 2014, two carvers, Francis Mutua Muvua and Jonathan Lento, exported giraffe sculptures to Washington D.C. as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
The prices of Ocean Sole's products vary, with a nine-inch lion sculpture costing Ksh 4,700 (US$47), a zebra sculpture going for Ksh 3,700 ($37), and a handmade recycled whale shark retailing for Ksh 3,700. A set of three sculpted safari animal parts costs Ksh 9,900 ($99), while a large pineapple fetches Ksh 13,000 ($130).
Ocean Sole's organization collects 47,000kgs of flip-flops every year, educating over 10,000 beneficiaries in the process. The organization also positively impacts over 1,000 Kenyans through the collection of flip-flops and direct employment, providing steady income to nearly 100 low-income Kenyans.
As stated on their website, Ocean Sole aims to recycle a million flip-flops a year, recycle over one tonne of styrofoam a month, and save over five hundred trees a year by using flip-flops instead of wood. They also contribute over 10-15% of their revenue to beach cleanups, vocational and educational programmes, as well as conservation efforts.
According to the MacArthur report, the state of water pollution globally has hit unprecedented levels, with the filth expected to increase by 9.1 tonnes annually. As it stands, 150 million tonnes of plastic are already polluting the world's oceans, and it is expected that there will be more plastics in the ocean than fish by the year 2050.
