Our Story

Jewellery with Purpose. Beauty with Impact. A movement for people and planet.

Pez León was not planned. It was necessary.

In 2019, Tom Wright founded Wasteless World — an organisation focused on empowering communities to take control of their plastic waste and build circular economies that protect both the environment and local livelihoods. By 2021, that mission had taken Tom, his partner Carolina, and a passionate team of marine biologists, professional divers, and community leaders deep into Bocas del Toro, Panama — one of the most biodiverse coastal ecosystems in the Caribbean.

While building a recycling centre in the community, the team got underwater. What they found changed everything.

The Silent Threat

Lionfish — native to the Indo-Pacific — had been introduced to Caribbean waters through human activity. With no natural predators, venomous spines that deter anything that might eat them, and a reproductive rate of up to 12,500 eggs per day, they were spreading unchecked across the reef. Each fish can devour up to 5,000 native fish per year, consuming the herbivores that keep algae from overgrowing and suffocating coral.

The team recognised that if this went unchecked, the reef — the foundation of every coastal community's food, livelihood, and future — would collapse.

So they did something about it.

Bye Bye Lionfish

Working with local indigenous fishermen in Bocas del Toro, the team developed a sustainable lionfish removal system. The only method that doesn't damage the reef is a Hawaiian sling — a short, low-powered spear that requires precision diving skill. The indigenous fishermen, already expert divers and intimately familiar with the reef, were perfectly placed for the work.

The team educated fishermen on why the lionfish was a threat — to their reefs, their fish stocks, their livelihoods, and their children's future. Then they built a model that paid them fairly for every catch, creating economic incentive for conservation.

Carolina's Breakthrough

Carolina — an experienced resin jewellery artist — looked at the fins being discarded from every catch and saw something different. Could lionfish fins be used to create jewellery?

The answer was an extraordinary yes. The natural pattern of the lionfish spine — striking, unique, impossible to replicate — created pieces that stopped people in their tracks. No two fins are alike, so no two pieces are ever the same.

"All we need is the fins."

The model transformed overnight. The fishermen now receive the same fair price per catch — but keep the meat for their families or to sell again. The team takes only the fins. Zero waste. Fair pay. Maximum impact.

From Panama to the World

From that founding moment in 2021, the project has grown into three interconnected chapters:

The original Bocas del Toro operation — managed by Emilio — continues running reef conservation, community employment, and lionfish harvesting at the source.

Sebastian, one of the original founding team, has expanded the model into Costa Rica, growing the geographic reach of the mission.

And from Byron Bay, Australia, Tom and Carolina have built the global brand — developing the online store, retail partnerships, and international market to fund and scale the entire movement.

Every piece you wear funds this work.

Not a percentage of profits. Not a donation tacked on at checkout. The entire business model is the conservation. Every purchase pays a fisherman, protects a reef, and funds the expansion of a model that works.

Our story is just getting started.

The best way to support our mission — at zero cost — is to follow along and share what we're doing. Every share spreads the story further, and every new follower helps us grow the movement.

Jewellery with Purpose. From reef pest to reef protector.