Flat-pack self-watering POTR Ocean Pot

The Ocean POTR Pot is a collaboration between POTR and Waterhaul, created to transform one of the most persistent forms of marine waste - discarded fishing gear and coastal plastic - into a functional, low-carbon planter. Using Waterhaul’s coastal recovery network, the material for each pot is collected from beaches and shorelines around the UK before being transformed into a fully traceable recycled sheet material manufactured entirely within the UK.

From ocean waste to finished product – the process!
After collection, the recovered plastic - typically fishing nets, ropes and ocean-bound debris -is sorted and manually inspected. It is then:
1. Cleaned and decontaminated to remove salt, sand and organic matter
2. Shredded into uniform fragments suitable for remanufacture
3. Melt-filtered and extruded into high-quality recycled HDPE sheet
4. Precision-cut into 0.5mm sheets, providing the material used to create each Ocean POTR Pot

This closed-loop, UK-based process ensures consistent quality, full traceability and significantly reduced transport emissions compared to overseas recycling routes.

Each Ocean POTR Pot features a QR code on the packaging that enables customers to trace exactly where their pot’s material was collected, including the name of the team member, the beach location, the date, and even a photo taken during the cleanup. This level of transparency - rare even in circular product design - is industry leading, connecting the customer directly to the environmental impact they’ve helped support.

The recycled material is then folded into POTR’s signature origami-inspired flat-pack planter. The design reduces carbon emissions by over 100 times compared with traditional ceramic pots by eliminating wasted shipping volume and weight. It also uses up to 95% less material than conventional planters.

To support ongoing environmental recovery, POTR donates 4% of profits from the Ocean Collection to Waterhaul beach-clean initiatives, helping fund continuous waste removal along UK coastlines.

The Ocean POTR Pot also incorporates POTR's in-built self-watering system, using a capillary cord and reservoir to keep plants hydrated for longer - reducing plant loss and the environmental impact associated with replacing houseplants.

The Ocean POTR Pot represents the next generation of sustainable product design:
– Made from marine plastic recovered through Waterhaul’s UK cleanup network
– QR-code traceability unlocking exact origin, collector, date & cleanup photo
– Manufactured in the UK using recycled 0.5mm HDPE extruded sheet
– Flat-pack design cutting carbon by 100× and using 95% less material
– 4% of profits donated to Waterhaul beach cleans
– Self-watering, durable and fully recyclable

By combining environmental recovery, radical transparency, local manufacturing and innovative low-carbon design, the Ocean POTR Pot demonstrates how marine waste can be turned into meaningful, functional design - while giving consumers a direct connection to the coastline they’re helping protect.