Saving our Seas – 4ocean

In this month’s pollution solution series, we’re taking a closer look at 5 of the most innovative ways to clean up the oceans. We’ve already discussed The Ocean Cleanup and the Seabin Project along with the reasons ocean pollution is so harmful.

In this post, we’re looking at the 4ocean project…

What is it?

Less than 2 years ago, in January 2017, Andrew Cooper and Alex Schulze, went on a surf trip to Bali. They were devastated by the vast amount of waste in the ocean. After seeing fishermen having to push their boats through piles of washed up plastic, the two men decided to do something about it.

Speaking to the fishermen, they realised that the need and demand for seafood, to make a living, was driving them to focus on fish instead of plastic. So, Andrew and Alex decided they needed something that could fund their clean-up project. This is when the 4ocean bracelet was born.

Pull a pound

The pair designed a bracelet, made from 90% recycled materials, that they would sell to fund their clean-up. The cord of the bracelet is made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate, or recycled water bottles, and the beads are made from recycled glass bottles. The 4ocean charm featured on the bracelets is stainless steel.

For every bracelet bought, 4ocean will remove a pound of plastic from the ocean. So far, in the short time the project has been live, 4ocean has conducted clean-ups in 27 countries and pulled 1,436,460 pounds of plastic from our oceans.

4 O.C.E.A.N

4ocean believes in working together to reach a shared goal – cleaning up our oceans and protecting our environment. Their 4 pillars represent their work and values:

• Optimising technology – Using the latest technological advances to prevent, intercept and remove waste from the oceans and coastlines.
• Creating jobs – Hiring full-time captains and crews that are cleaning the ocean and coastlines 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Education & Awareness – 4ocean aims to change the behaviour and actions of individuals, corporations and governments.
• New global economies – By giving plastic pollution a value, 4ocean can create a new economy for the removal of waste.

Time for change

We rely on the ocean for much more than relaxing beach days. Cleaning the air, controlling the weather and providing a lot of food are just some of the impressive things the ocean does for us. It’s time to start giving back.

Want to find out more? Take a look at our next post on the 5 Gyres Institute, or read our article on ‘Camargue Flood Prevention with KSB’.