As the soul of the Italian luxury giant Prada Group, Miuccia Prada has never ceased her rebellious streak and reflection on fashion, which in turn influences every move of Prada, establishing its continuous actions in the socio-cultural domain. Among these actions is the “sustainability” we frequently mention today.
In 2019, Prada launched the Re-Nylon series, introducing regenerated nylon material and integrating sustainability into the core of its fashion collections, initiating a comprehensive transformation across the brand. Concurrently, Prada introduced the SEA BEYOND educational program.
Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group’s Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and an Ocean Decade Alliance sponsor, introduced the SEA BEYOND educational program as follows: “SEA BEYOND is not a short-term project but an initiative we intend to continue. For us, educating the younger generation to protect the ocean is a long-term commitment, and for such a project, we need patience.”
In the following years, Prada continuously expanded the SEA BEYOND educational program and recently elevated it to the governmental level for the first time: On June 7th and 8th, the SEA BEYOND educational program hosted its inaugural “Ocean Literacy World Conference” in Venice, Italy. While reviewing past achievements, it further expanded its influence through enriched interactions across audience and time dimensions, showcasing the original intent of the SEA BEYOND program to enhance ocean literacy.
At the conference, Lorenzo Bertelli emphasized: “The future of our planet depends on the health of the ocean. Therefore, it is crucial to make the youngest generation aware of the importance of the ocean and capable of taking action. We also hope that the reflections gathered these days will raise awareness among policymakers, placing ocean protection at the core of the international agenda.”
Practicing Sustainability, Going Deep into the Ocean
With the joint support of Prada and UNESCO-IOC (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission), the SEA BEYOND program’s logo has appeared in a series of educational and promotional activities centered around the ocean.
At the “Ocean Literacy World Conference,” Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailing team announced a new collaboration with UNESCO. In the upcoming 37th America’s Cup to be held in Barcelona at the end of August, the team’s mainsail will feature the UNESCO and SEA BEYOND logos, promoting ocean protection to a global audience.
From the emergence of sails around 3000 years ago to the 17th and 18th centuries when maritime powers connected the world via sailing ships; from initial transportation tools evolving into modern sailing competitions, the ocean, once unknown, fearful, and powerful to humanity, became a frontier for exploration driven by romantic adventure.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailing team was awarded the title of “Ambassador of Ocean Protection” by UNESCO, with the main sail featuring the UNESCO and SEA BEYOND logos. In 1997, Argentine yacht designer German Frers proposed to Prada Group President Patrizio Bertelli, Miuccia Prada’s husband, to participate in the 30th America’s Cup in New Zealand in 2000, giving birth to the Luna Rossa sailing team.
Today, humanity’s instinct to challenge itself remains unchanged, but there is a newfound understanding and sentiment towards the ocean. As our understanding of the ocean deepens, humanity’s perspective shifts from a presumptuous “conqueror” to a more calm, objective, and concerned stance on the relationship with the ocean.
“Understanding the impact of the ocean on us, and our impact on the ocean, is essential for sustainable living and action. This is the essence of ocean literacy,” states the UNESCO-IOC website.
At this Venice “Ocean Literacy World Conference,” 131 representatives and ocean knowledge experts from UNESCO member states gathered to release the “Venice Declaration for Ocean Literacy.” The declaration emphasizes the “interconnectedness between humans and the ocean highlights the crucial role of ocean literacy in shaping a sustainable future.”
In 2019, Prada Group and UNESCO-IOC jointly initiated the SEA BEYOND educational program, which has now conducted three editions.
Focusing on the spread of ocean literacy is at the core of the SEA BEYOND program.
This then begs the question, how to effectively enhance ocean literacy? Prada offers new perspectives.
At the event, Prada screened a documentary in a Venetian cinema, showcasing the experiences of a local kindergarten participating in the SEA BEYOND program’s “Kindergarten of the Lagoon” project. This project, through outdoor education in close proximity to nature and the ocean, helps preschool children understand and love the lagoon ecosystem.
Latest event photos of the “Kindergarten of the Lagoon” project in March this year.
Lorenzo Bertelli expressed his delight at the conference: “The ‘Kindergarten of the Lagoon’ project reminds me of my carefree childhood. Seeing children smile in the embrace of nature is fantastic, just as I felt on the day of the project’s inauguration.”
Also launched at the event was the “Ideas Boxes,” created in collaboration with Libraries Without Borders. This over 100 square meters mobile multimedia center is equipped with internet, computers, books, games, and educational materials, aiming to provide children and youth in disadvantaged communities with opportunities to learn about the ocean.
The newly launched “Ideas Boxes” will first be stationed in Naples before traveling to various locations across Italy. Initially developed by French designer Philippe Starck for Libraries Without Borders in 2014, the “Ideas Boxes” has benefited 115 communities worldwide. Content related to ocean literacy, compiled by UNESCO experts, will be integrated into the existing “Ideas Boxes” in France, Burundi, and Côte d’Ivoire. UNESCO experts will also train local teams operating the “Ideas Boxes” and accompany children in using it.
With sailing ships in the ocean, children listening to science at the lagoon’s edge, and teenagers reading ocean books… In these beautiful and moving scenes, Prada and the SEA BEYOND program may be hidden, but their practical actions are fulfilling their commitment to sustainability.
Prada’s “Sustainability Methodology”
Part of the SEA BEYOND program’s funding comes from Prada’s Re-Nylon regenerated nylon series.
Nylon is a distinctive symbol of Prada’s core spirit. Following this iconic material, we might clarify Prada’s sustainable path:
In the 1980s, Miuccia Prada, reflecting on the concept of “luxury,” introduced nylon to make luxury handbags, causing a sensation both within and outside the industry.
“Suddenly, nylon became more fascinating to me than other high-end fashion materials. I decided to bring nylon to the runway, and it did not disappoint, challenging and even subverting the traditional definition of luxury in the fashion world. To this day, I am still obsessed with it,” said Miuccia Prada.
Over 30 years later, when nylon bags had become a classic, Prada boldly adopted regenerated nylon ECONYL® as an alternative material, defining a new era of luxury.
Ten percent of global ocean plastic waste comes from discarded fishing nets. These nets are collected and sent to fabric manufacturer Aquafil’s factory, where, along with other nylon waste, they are transformed into new ECONYL® regenerated nylon through depolymerization and repolymerization processes. This regenerated material can be recycled infinitely without compromising quality.
Prada Re-Nylon series. In 2023, Prada announced that 1% of the Re-Nylon series revenue would be donated to the SEA BEYOND program.
In terms of sustainability methodology, Prada’s actions extend beyond product innovation. Influenced by Miuccia Prada’s humanistic spirit, Prada actively advocates for ocean protection through social and cultural activities.
In recent years, Prada has vigorously promoted the SEA BEYOND program, raising public ocean literacy and starting with “education.” Projects like the “Kindergarten of the Lagoon” and the “Ideas Boxes” have proven the feasibility of its unique “sustainability methodology.”
In 2024, the SEA BEYOND program will extend beyond education to support ocean-related scientific research dissemination and humanistic projects:
- In January this year, Prada released a series of short films in collaboration with National Geographic Creative Works, telling stories of ocean protection;
- In May, around the works of photographer and climate artist Enzo Barracco, Prada invited thinkers, cultural scholars, scientists, and fashion figures worldwide to discuss ocean protection;
- Disseminating the findings of marine biologist and National Geographic Explorer Giovanni Chimienti, who discovered black coral in the waters of Italy’s Egadi Islands.
The declaration passed at the Venice conference emphasized, “Promote a new round of actions to establish ocean literacy in education, science, policy, economy, and culture.”
At the Prada Group level, the enhancement of ocean literacy has evolved from education to a broad social and humanistic domain. At the societal level, ocean literacy has developed from school-based ocean science teaching activities to a “community of shared destiny” across regions and generations. In the process of doing so Prada has played a crucial role in this process and will continue to do so.
The second phase of the works filmed by Prada and National Geographic Creative Works, including three short films, explaining the origin of Prada’s Re-Nylon regenerated nylon.
Prada’s “Possible Conversations” event, discussing the urgency of ocean protection and environmental management around the works of Emmy-nominated photographer and climate artist Enzo Barracco.
How Will Sustainability Reciprocate the Brand?
The Venice event this time may indicate that Prada will play a more critical role in ocean literacy and sustainability issues in the future.
The “Ocean Literacy World Conference” received sponsorship from the Venice Municipal Government, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the 2025 Third United Nations Ocean Conference. “Elevating this issue to the political level for the first time is an important step for the SEA BEYOND program dedicated to ocean education.”
Lorenzo Bertelli not only emphasized the importance of the conference for the SEA BEYOND program but also indicated the necessity of policymakers’ involvement: “Collaboration between the public and private sectors is key to success,” “We also hope that the reflections gathered these days will raise policymakers’ awareness, placing ocean protection at the core of the international agenda.”
It is foreseeable that in the future, ocean literacy issues will receive more attention and support from government levels, and activities and goals related to enhancing ocean literacy may thus gain broader dissemination.
Lorenzo Bertelli at the conference site (far right), Magdalena Landry, Director of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (center), and Max Sirena, Captain and Team Director of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailing team (far left).
For the environment, the importance and influence of the ocean on humanity will become a consensus with the enhancement of ocean literacy. For Prada, it is not only about planting the awareness of ocean protection in the minds of the younger generation but also about shaping the future generation’s perception of the brand.
As Lorenzo Bertelli said: “The message of ‘ocean literacy’ allows us to unite young people and adults; nothing is more powerful than building intergenerational bonds. This is precisely what we need to build.”
Enhancing ocean literacy cannot be achieved overnight, just as the construction of brand assets and image is not accomplished in a day. The current efforts are paving the way for the future. In this regard, sustainable development and brand building have found common ground.
Conclusion
In the past decade, sustainability has become a frequently mentioned term in the fashion industry, with more and more companies including sustainable development in their reports. However, the related concepts, strategies, and methods remain superficial and tend to be homogeneous. Beyond the beautiful promises and scattered actions, companies need to combine their characteristics and strike a well-coordinated combination.
Just like Prada’s sustainable path, from the core ideas of its soul figure, it derives the theoretical basis and corresponding methodology for practicing sustainability.
Lorenzo Bertelli once said: “Investing in sustainability and the ocean is a long-term win-win strategy. It is not just the right choice but will benefit in the long term.”
For Prada, sustainability is not a task, nor is it a social responsibility urged by consumers, but an inherent force with deep and solid roots, like a natural spring, continuously providing energy. In its flow, the spring explores unique paths, expanding its depth and breadth, ultimately finding its place.
More event photos:
丨Image Credit: Provided by Prada, Prada official Weibo
丨Editor: Zhuo Ruoyu
