A STUDENT from near York has launched his first business with a social mission to help raise awareness of ocean pollution and save marine life.

Nathan Smith, 21 from Pocklington, is a second year student on the Entrepreneurial Business Management (EBM) programme at Northumbria University’s Newcastle Business School.

Following a trip to Thailand last summer, he was struck by the level of rubbish and plastics littering beautiful beaches and wondered how he could encourage people to clean up and raise awareness of ocean pollution.

In response, he’s set up OceanJunkie, a social enterprise which recycles discarded fishing nets into bracelets. The money raised from bracelet sales is then reinvested to help organise and fund community beach clean ups along the North East Coast in a bid to reduce ocean pollution and encourage conservation activities.

Nathan said: “OceanJunkie is start-up business dedicated to helping to fight the world’s plastic problem. We upcycle GhostNets into bracelets with a mission to save marine life and give them back their ocean.

“Every bracelet purchased represents a marine life saved from a tragic death. We want to rid the world of GhostNets and hope the awareness we raise through people buying our bracelets and supporting the OceanJunkie movement will help to bring in regulations for the proper disposal of fishing gear.”

Nathan’s bracelets are handmade in the UK from nets pulled out of the ocean. Each bracelet is unique as every net is slightly different. They come in three colours and retail online for £5 plus postage and packing trading under @JunkieOcean on Facebook and Instagram.

During his studies on Northumbria University’s pioneering Entrepreneurial Business Management programme, Nathan has been encouraged to develop his passion for marine conservation into a commercial, sustainable enterprise.

“The EBM programme has given me the resources, confidence and motivation to create OceanJunkie,” Nathan said.

“Prior to coming to university, I knew that I wanted to set up in business but I felt that I didn’t know enough to go it alone. I heard about EBM programme from a student in the year above. I was instantly hooked, it offered the business development and skills support I was looking for and I achieve a degree at the same time.

“Through the OceanJunkie ethos of recycling, I want people to realise the impact that plastic and GhostNets are having on our marine life and our oceans and to give people the opportunity to make a difference and help the environment.

“My vision is to reinvest profits into supporting beach clean ups across the country, ensuring groups have the funds to purchase the tools they need, as well as donating money to support the important work of the Marine Conservation Society.”

This month OceanJunkie is supporting 'Go Green Week' at Leicester University to raise the profile of ocean pollution and the importance of marine conservation. Nathan is also developing plans to support a number community beach cleans in the North East by sponsoring clean up tools and bags.