Dashel’s new range of sustainable Ocean Edition cycle helmets in collaboration with Bracenet.
The new range is part of Dashel’s commitment to reducing waste and being part of the circular economy.
During the manufacturing of Dashel’s Recycle Helmets (made from fully recyclable materials) at their factory in the UK, a number of cosmetic seconds are produced. These are helmets with inconsistent colours created when the injection moulding is changed from one colour to another. The old colour has to be extruded and the helmets come out paler with subtle waves of colour through them. In addition, the first few of the new colour batch often have traces of the previous colour plus these wave-like lines. No two helmets are alike and the finished ‘design’ cannot be predicted.
In the past these cosmetic seconds were immediately put back into the factory’s recycling stream. However, good as recycling is, it’s always better to reuse, as repurposing existing materials creates zero carbon emission. So—the Ocean Range was born.
The Ocean Edition cycle helmets are the same in every other way – safety, quality and longevity – as Dashel’s popular Recycle Helmets; the only difference is the uneven colour pattern reminiscent of waves on a beach.
To ensure the Ocean Range of cycle helmets is as sustainable as possible, the loop at the back (usually made from vegan leather) has been replaced with one made from ghost net collected by Bracenet. Bracenet retrieves discarded fishnets from oceans worldwide and gives them a new life, upcycling them into useful accessories and more. They aim to promote the danger to marine wildlife from waste ghost nets, and work globally to remove plastic from oceans.
In addition to purchasing the loops from Bracenet, which helps to fund their clean up operations, Dashel is donating 10% of the sale price of each helmet to support valuable marine conservation work and removing ocean plastic. This is divided between two great charities: 5% of each sale goes to Healthy Seas and 5% to the Seabin Project.
“It is always better to reuse than recycle, and this is what initially inspired the development of the Ocean Edition range. The ReCycle range is injection moulded in our Plymouth factory. When you buy a cycle helmet, you may not realise that it has taken many attempts to get the solid colour that ends up on a shop shelf. Many weird and wonderful colour changes will come through the production line. In the UK all of these seconds go straight to recycling and are never seen by the customer.” Explains Dashel’s founder Catherine Bedford.
“Dashel’s new Ocean Edition comes in a unique range of patterns reminiscent of waves or water patterns. The colours are random depending on the dispersion of colour in manufacture – no two helmets are ever alike. The helmets from our latest production come in a range of blues, black and reds. And the ghost net loops from Bracenet come in a variety of different colours, depending on the net they have been made from.”
The Ocean Edition helmet is delivered in a recyclable cardboard box and a reusable drawstring backpack made from 3.5 recycled PET bottles. Even the swing tag cable is biodegradable! The Ocean Edition helmets are co-branded Dashel x Bracenet.
“The collaboration is part of Dashel’s aim to combat plastic waste and promote global sustainability. Reusing rather than recycling emits less carbon and if customers were given the option to choose a product that is not cosmetically perfect, but otherwise identical in every way to prevent waste, carbon emissions and landfill, perhaps many more would do so?” said Bedford.
“I believe all brands should be having a conversation about their products and packaging and giving consumers a chance to buy items with tiny flaws – as long as they are clearly labelled as such. It’s amazing how much waste there is just because a product is identical to its fellows. For every piece of packaging you see on the shelf, many more were discarded due to some tiny flaw that perhaps customers would be accepting of. I think it’s time we educated customers and gave them the choice.”
Watch the video to see how Dashel’s Ocean edition helmets are sustainably produced at their UK factory in Plymouth:
The Ocean Edition range is available online at https://dashel.co.uk and from selected retailers, RRP £69.00.
ABOUT DASHEL
Dashel offers a range of slim, ventilated, lightweight cycle helmets designed and manufactured in the UK. With a distinctive urban feel, Dashel Helmets have low impact at the point of manufacture, and produce very little waste at the end of life. The helmets are portable, sold packaged in a handy rucksack that means there is no superfluous packaging. They come in an array of classic colours. Choose from black, blue, sage green and red. Dashel Recycle helmets are £79 and available from all good cycle shops and online at Dashel.co.uk
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