M.I.A.’s New Sustainable Sunglasses Collection Is Made From Trash

Looking for the perfect pair of sustainable sunglasses to round out your summer wardrobe? London-based rapper and singer M.I.A. just dropped her debut eyewear collection with Parley for the Oceans—and you’re definitely going to want to snag a pair.

The capsule collection is part of Parley for the Oceans’ circular luxury brand, Clean Waves. The non-profit works to fight ocean pollution by collecting plastic waste from beaches and coastal towns before it winds up in landfills or the ocean. 

The Sri Lankan artist, whose real name is Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, collaborated with the organization for the limited-edition modular shades. 

The sustainable sunglasses, which dropped on June 7, are made from reclaimed fishing nets and marine plastic debris. 

Arulpragasam, who is known for her politically charged lyrics, is an ardent activist who has campaigned for refugees, equal access to education, and the end of global poverty. Now, with the help of Parley for Oceans, she’s tackling plastic pollution.

According to Parley, approximately eight million metric tons of plastic waste winds up in oceans each year.

“Nature is everything. It’s your physical body, your mental state; it’s our oceans, land, air – everything is connected. If you have a good understanding of all these things, then we are in balance,” Arulpragasam said in a statement about the collection. “And I think issues like overpopulation, overfishing, sea piracy, poverty, plastic pollution are all symptoms of a system that is broken.”

Sustainable Sunglasses

Proceeds from Clean Waves sustainable sunglasses will support The Parley Global Cleanup Network, a global alliance of 30 countries and more than 260,000 volunteers.

The network works to respond to plastic emergencies and develops programs to mitigate the issue of plastic waste. The initiative aims to be active in every country with a coastline by 2030. 

When consumers purchase the sustainable sunglasses, they will be able to see exactly where their money is going: GPS coordinates of the specific area the consumer is helping to support are engraved on Clean Waves frames.

Cyrill Gutsch, founder and chief executive of Parley for the Oceans, said in a statement: “Every Clean Waves collection is designed to provoke a future of creativity, collaboration and eco-innovation—with the goal of creating a world where humans live in peace with the ecosystems of nature.”