OCN is the new Galileo Watermark brand of cosmetics offered as an alternative to products sold in standard recycled or virgin plastic packaging. It is taken from a small segment of the billions of metric tons of disposable products that are now littering the world’s oceans – up to 46,000 pieces of plastic per square mile of water, according to National Geographic. The waste is unsightly and unnecessary, and it poses real threats to fish, turtles, birds and other sea life.
Picked from the shallows and beaches of the world’s oceans, this plastic packaging was originally gathered from a sandy shore, washed, treated and granulated into flakes, washed again and pelletized before taking a new shape and with a label that says “OCN.” It will then be part of the newest line of cosmetics packaging from Galileo Watermark.
“The aviation industry is a significant contributor to plastic waste, and our airline partners are working towards more sustainable options across all aspects of our sourcing requirements,” says Kenny Harmel, Head of Aviation at Galileo Watermark. “We want to support this drive as much as possible by offering innovative solutions to both waste reduction and sustainable material usage.”
Two types of plastic are the main culprits but also offer the best possibility for reuse: HDPE plastic found in milk bottles and PET plastic commonly used in soda bottles. Galileo Watermark will be using the former (which is the more common waste found in the oceans) for the OCN tube cosmetic products, while the recycled PET products will be used to make new bottles.
Though the company is committed to an OCN line that is made from 100% plastic recycled from the ocean, its initial offering will contain approximately 30%.
