SURFING on Scotland’s west coast has inspired a former Dyson product design engineer to create a self-watering plant pot produced from waste washed up on beaches.

Andrew Flynn, founder of POTR, was shocked to witness the scale of sea debris on beaches in the Outer Hebrides. Now, his company has launched its limited-edition Ocean Pot range, made from 100 per cent recycled fishing nets and described as the “world’s most sustainable plant pot”.

Mr Flynn and POTR co-founder Martin Keane transform tonnes of discarded debris reclaimed from coastlines across the UK and Europe, donating a percentage of profits from Ocean Pots to the Ghost Diving charity, which uses specialised divers to retrieve discarded equipment."


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He also said: “I’ve spent years taking my surfboard up and down the west coast of Scotland, where you can easily see the scale of the problem,” said Mr Flynn. “The amount of marine waste washing up on the shores has been growing at an alarming rate.

“However, I believe as a designer I have a responsibility to find solutions which make a positive impact on our planet.”

Glasgow-based POTR, which has received £100,000 support from Scottish EDGE to enable it to accelerate its growth and launch the Ocean Pots range this month, was founded in 2019.

Its origami pots are posted flat-packed in a 100% recycled card envelope and delivered free of charge. Customers simply pour water inside the pot with the plant automatically drinking through a cotton cord when required.

Produced in Bristol, POTR’s standard range is made from recycled polypropylene and cotton that would have otherwise ended up in landfill.