Go to homepage

Frequently Asked Questions

About the product

Are products made with #tide durable and safe to use?

Yes. Our 100% compliance with the international standards REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) and RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) demonstrates that products made with #tide granules are safe to wear and use every day.

What certifications does #tide have?

#tide granules, and therefore its products produced using our granules, are compliant with REACH and RoHS regulations.

#tide has passed several tests by FGS/TÜV Süd, amongst others it has been proven skin-friendly. TÜV Süd has also successfully tested a batch of #tide ocean material's rPET to meet food grade standards.

Tide Ocean SA has passed audits and been certified with

  • the Global Recycle Standard (GRS) by Control Union

  • the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) by Control Union

  • the Ocean Bound Plastic Certification (OBP) by Zero Plastic Oceans (ZPO).

In regard to environmental certifications, the Swiss climate protection foundation myclimate.org confirms, that #tide is offsetting the carbon footprint of its logistics.

What happens to the #tide products after we can no longer use them?

Every product comes to the end of its lifetime at some point. That goes for re-generated plastic, too. We ask every consumer to recycle their #tide product – and other plastic products! – using government-controlled household trash collection centers. This is how we can be sure that the plastic is properly sorted and recycled. 

About the brand

Why do you use plastic from the ocean and coastlines?

Every minute, one truckload of plastic ends up in the ocean. If we don’t act now there’ll be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050 (according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation). Our solution is to involve local communities and give plastic waste a value. We believe in a circular economy, that’s why we have partnered with different organizations with a mutual interest on cleaning up the oceans, coastlines and uncontrolled landfills. Countries and islands in Southeast Asia are in desperate need of as much support as possible.

Switzerland is a landlocked country. Why are you involved in handling ocean pollution?

We are convinced that plastic pollution is a global issue which concerns us all – just like the climate crisis does. That’s why we have built a global supply chain with our main focus on islands in the Andaman Sea, where we help to establish a resilient waste management and plastic collection system.

Do you commit to the UN Sustainable Development Goals?

Of course! We want to fight poverty by creating jobs in rural/poor regions. We pay fair wages. We also care about Life below water, by cleaning up the oceans and preventing, that new plastic enters the sea we help to improve underwater habitat. Closing the plastic circle means also reducing consumption of fossil resources (Responsible Consumption and Production). We also commit to climate action: All our transports are carbon neutral. We also care about our own use of energy. Wherever possible we use renewable energy sources.

Who is behind #tide?

#tide was founded by a team of innovative entrepreneurs from the Swiss watch and accessories industry. We are committed to improving the state of the environment.

About the process

What kinds of plastics are used?

All kinds of plastic. In addition to PET (polyethylene terephthalate) used for beverages bottles, we also regenerate LDPE (Low-density polyethylene, like plastic bags), HDPE (High-density polyethylene, like shampoo bottles) and PP (Polypropylene, hard plastic, like a computer mouse). We are able to replace a variety of Polymers, for instance ABS, with our awarded #tide ocean material.

Do you track the plastic you turn into granules?

We register every plastic lot we receive from our partners with the date and pull location. This allows us to know where the plastic was collected. However, due to currents and the movement of the water, we will never be able to know for certain where the plastic originally came from. 

Where is the production facility?

The plastic trash pulled from the ocean is sorted directly on site. The granule production is either done in Thailand or in Switzerland (for the European market).

How much environmental damage does the production of #tide granules cause?

Much less than the production of virgin plastic, as we are taking what already exists and don’t process any virgin or non-ocean bound plastics. The production of our #tide ocean material® causes 79% less greenhouse gas emissions than the production of virgin plastic. By giving plastic waste a second life, we prevent plastic from polluting the sea and air (by being uncontrollably burned). And recycling also means that no new virgin plastic enters the market. Virgin plastic is made of limited resources such as oil. Therefore #tide ocean material® helps to reduce oil consumption. We want to close the cycle because we are convinced that there’s already enough plastic on planet earth.

What if you can’t meet demands with the plastic you have? Where will you get more?

Not even 10% of the plastic is recycled today, which is a shame. There’s more than enough material, although we hope very much that one day we will run out of plastic to use. Once we arrive at this point, we have done our job and restored the oceans.