A movement to transform marine plastic pollution into athletic shoes, skateboards and other products is gaining traction, but there is a debate about how much impact ‘upcycling’ can have. When oil prices drop, as they have in recent years, recycling profits plummet. In most countries it’s cheaper to simply make new petroleum-based plastic goods than turn the ones used once into the same items again. That’s led to a dismal recycling rate of just 9 percent worldwide, and an enormous buildup of plastic in the ocean, according to a recent study on global plastic production,. But as recycling rates drop and ocean pollution worsens, many innovators are taking marine debris, a notoriously unrecyclable material, and turning it into useful items. They’re turning all types of marine plastic trash, from old fishing gear to bits of broken-down hard plastic called microplastic, into new products.