TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Duolog Design founder Ou Shih-hsun (歐世勛) is turning discarded fishing nets into fully recyclable glasses, blending design with sustainability to tackle marine waste.
A former HTC designer, Ou said his vision is not just to create products but to solve social problems through sustainable design, per CNA. After a decade in consumer electronics, he has embraced the circular economy as a guiding principle.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, about 640,000 tonnes of abandoned fishing gear enter the oceans every year. These nets account for a 10th of marine debris, trapping wildlife, smothering reefs, and even posing risks to navigation.
“In the past, environmentalism relied on guilt, like showing sea turtles with straws in their noses or urging people not to litter,” Ou said. “However, those methods did not solve root problems.”
While in the US, Ou saw South American companies recycling nets into products. Back in Taiwan, he found little effort beyond textiles, and most of the raw material was imported.
“So what happens to Taiwan’s own fishing nets?” he said, recalling a time when the national debate focused more on banning straws than dealing with marine debris.
A turning point came when Ou discovered that Taiwan’s Plastic Industry Development Center had recycled beach cleanup waste into sunglasses. He traced the firms involved and forged partnerships that tapped into Europe’s demand for recycled products.
Designing the eyewear, however, proved far tougher than Ou expected. Unlike phones, glasses must fit varied faces with extreme precision. “The curves of glasses are not rational at all. They are entirely emotional,” he said.
He and his team bought a 3D printer and churned out prototypes, many of them unusable. The fishing net nylon was too soft, forcing adjustments with manufacturers.
Determined to improve, Ou pushed forward with a second generation, supported by a subsidy from the Industrial Development Administration. In 2023, the company launched its Hibang eyeglasses brand.
The new models feature modular parts with no screws, snap-on frames, and adjustable pads. Customers can replace or repair parts, and those returning old frames for recycling get 25% off a new pair.
The design has won international recognition, including Germany’s iF design award and a sustainability award at Mido Eyewear Show in Milan. For Ou, the awards are only one step toward a broader goal.
“‘Hibang’ means fishing net, but it also means hope in Taiwanese,” Ou said. He said he hopes sustainability will be so normal it does not need to be a selling point.
