Having recently announced its AIKON #tide initiative, Maurice Lacroix goes to Phuket and reveals to its Asian partners an array of activities such as beach cleaning, designed to make the Andaman Sea, off the coast of Thailand, a little cleaner. Moreover, the aim is to heighten awareness of how everyone can collectively contribute to sustainability. In Thailand, the brand’s activities include providing employment, longtail boats, warehousing and equipment in order to gather plastic waste. Moreover, Maurice Lacroix is also funding educational programmes in the region. As part of a long-term commitment, the luxury marque vows to recover 10 million plastic bottles from the ocean by providing financial support.
A few weeks ago, Maurice Lacroix unveiled its ground-breaking watch, the AIKON #tide, in the sun-kissed metropolis of Miami. Now, the Swiss brand spreads the word about its latest initiative, going to Phuket in Thailand. The choice of this tropical location is no accident. On the contrary, this region is the focal point of Maurice Lacroix’s efforts to make the oceans a little cleaner.
Working in collaboration with #tide, a Swiss specialist in ‘upcycling ocean-bound plastic waste’ who just wins the prestigious Swiss Ethics Award 2022, Maurice Lacroix is playing its part in contributing to cleaner oceans. The Jura-based watch brand has engaged in a long-term partnership to collect plastic bottles from the Andaman Sea, off the coast of Thailand. It has made a firm commitment to recover 10 million plastic bottles from the ocean by providing significant financial support.
Maurice Lacroix is funding traditional longtail boats to recover the plastic waste and paying the collectors a salary to undertake the work. In addition, the company is paying for the ongoing maintenance of the longtail boats. After the waste has been collected, it is stored in warehouses which are, once again, funded by Maurice Lacroix. Incidentally, the first warehouse is being built on Koh Chang in collaboration with Ranong Recycle for Environment. To make the recycling process efficient, there is a requirement for equipment, eg a bale press, a forklift, etc – once again, Maurice Lacroix is funding this. Lastly, in collaboration with the Jan & Oscar Foundation and #tide, Maurice Lacroix is supporting educational programmes in order to heighten awareness of environmental issues.
Once the plastic bottles have been recovered from the sea, they are sorted, shredded into flakes, washed and compacted close to the point of collection and then transported to #tide upcycling facilities. At #tide the flakes are compounded into smaller granules and then combined with an undisclosed formula, culminating in the creation of upcycled plastic. This material is being used to make lots of lovely, brightly coloured AIKON #tide watches. It takes 17 bottles to make one watch and its user-friendly packaging, which means 17 fewer bottles polluting the ocean.
With the AIKON #tide initiative, Maurice Lacroix demonstrates to its partners that businesses can act responsibly and consider the needs of society. Now, we encourage our customers, ML Crew members, the press, retailers and everyone else to join us in protecting our oceans. Join a beach clean and dispose of waste responsibly. Together we can do this!
