Meet Emily Packer, Founder and CEO of Coldharbour Tiles 

"We spend about 85% of our time indoors. That's why creating a space that inspires, that reflects our values of sustainability and hope is so important. Seeing Coldharbour Tiles on your wall is a reminder that - not only do you have great taste! - you have made a direct impact on the health of our planet."   


- Emily Packer; Founder and CEO of Coldharbour Tiles

When I first learned about the scale of the plastic pollution crisis, I felt overwhelmed, debilitated. What can one person possibly do to make a difference? Perhaps you’ve felt this way as well? Studies have shown that microplastics are now found in everything from table salt to breastmilk to snowfall. This invisible pollutant will no doubt have an impact on the health of generations to come - we were never meant to consume plastic after all. However, the average human being unknowingly consumes a credit card worth of plastic every week. 

I was based in Rwanda, working as a video journalist at the time, when I learned about the plastic pollution problem up close. Many countries in Africa where I was traveling didn’t have recycling infrastructure, so plastic waste simply couldn’t be ignored or forgotten - as it’s so easy to do in Europe or the US (where I’m from). If only 9% of all plastic ever produced has actually been recycled, then we all have a lot of work to do! Even if you can’t see it. 

I decided to roll up my sleeves and become part of the solution. I began cutting up shampoo bottles at home and melting them down in my kitchen oven to create the first tiles. Fast-forward five years of research, testing, prototypes, pivots, and a lot of patience….Coldharbour Tiles was born and launched. I want everyone to feel empowered to make a difference. By choosing Coldharbour Tiles, you can join the fight against plastic pollution while making interior spaces even more beautiful!

What is the story behind the Coldharbour name? 
I was living in Brixton, an eclectic neighborhood in South London, when my first son, Archie, was born.  Bringing Archie back to our lovely, little flat on Coldharbour Lane changed everything.  There is a Native American saying “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” Once I began looking at the world through this lens, I wanted to do more.  Coldharbour is all about thinking about the future. How do our actions today affect the lives of future generations? 

Why are tiles the best way to upcycle plastic?
I have some bad news: used plastic is not an easy material to recycle. The numbers on the bottom of your water bottle or plastic toys are helpful in grouping plastics together, but the simplicity of this labeling is deceiving. There are different grades of plastic with different additives mixed in for various purposes. This means that they can melt at different temperatures and can behave differently when being molded. This is part of the reason why so little plastic is up-cycled into new products - it’s difficult and it’s expensive. 

Ironically, plastic originated out of concerns for wildlife preservation. In 1862 Alexander Parkes patented the first manufactured plastic called Parkesine, which was meant to become a cheap substitute for ivory or tortoiseshell. With elephants and tortoises on the brink of extinction - as ivory and shell were then used for many high end products like piano keys and hair combs - this was a much welcome invention. Little did they know this once valuable material would become a cheap, throwaway option for products often only used for a few minutes. 

I thought long and hard before choosing what product I wanted to create from recycled plastic. We know that plastic can leach into drinks or meals, especially when hot, so anything related to consumption  wasn’t a good option. Researchers recently found that on average, one liter of bottled water has 240,000 tiny pieces of plastic inside, so just imagine microwaving your dinner in a plastic container! I also don’t believe plastic should be used for clothing. We know that washing synthetic materials will release “invisible to the eye” plastic particles into our waterways.  Depending on the type of garments being washed, studies have shown that a single load of laundry can release up to 1.5 million synthetic microfibers into the water system.

Creating tiles felt like the best way to upcycle plastic because they can “lock away” large amounts of plastic waste in a form that won’t be in contact with our food and drinks, and won’t be repeatedly washed at high temperatures. The more tiles we make, the more plastic is taken out of the environment! And if made correctly, can be enjoyed for generations.  

There is so much plastic waste to recycle. Why did you choose fishing nets? 
Growing up in Southern California, the ocean has always been a special place for me. There is no better feeling than looking out at a blue horizon with sand between your toes, listening to the peaceful soundtrack of crashing waves. It’s the feeling of home. 

That’s why, there’s nothing more upsetting than seeing our oceans trashed with fishing gear.  Somewhere up to 1M tons of fishing nets are abandoned in the oceans every year, responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of marine animals. We’ve all seen the devastating photos of seals and turtles being strangled by ghost nets. By harming these animals we are also harming ourselves by further accelerating climate breakdown. Whales for example can capture about 33 tons of carbon dioxide over their lifespan. In comparison, an oak tree - one of the most efficient carbon-capturing tree species, captures only 12 tons of carbon dioxide over its lifespan.   

At Coldharbour, we upcycle used and damaged fishing nets sourced primarily from the Baltic Sea region - repurposing them into tiles - so that they are never sent to landfill or dumped into the ocean, becoming ghost nets. 

 

 

Sources: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/whales-and-carbon-sequestration-can-whales-store-carbon#:~:text=One%20whale%20can%20capture%20an,a%20maximum%20500%2Dyear%20lifespan.https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/chemistry/age-plastic-parkesine-pollution#:~:text=Its%20inventor%2C%20the%20Birmingham%2Dborn,substitute%20for%20ivory%20or%20tortoiseshell. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/plastic-particles-bottled-water#:~:text=Results%20were%20reported%20on%20January,these%20plastic%20fragments%20were%20nanoplastics.https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/washing-clothes-releases-more-than-just-microplastics-384150#:~:text=Depending%20on%20the%20type%20of,plastic%20pollution%20in%20our%20oceans.