Mission: “4ocean is a global movement actively removing trash from the ocean and coastlines while inspiring individuals to work together for a cleaner ocean, one pound at a time.”
HQ: Boca Raton, Florida
Year Started: 2017
Connect: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Project:

Think of yourself traveling to the most picturesque beach in the world. Now imagine getting there and, instead of white sand as far as the eye can see, finding piles and piles of garbage. For many once-pristine beaches around the world, this scenario has become an unfortunate reality—one that 4ocean co-founders Alex Schulze and Andrew Cooper experienced firsthand on a surf trip to Bali, Indonesia, in summer 2015, which sparked the idea for their recycled-bracelet and ocean-cleanup company.

“They were watching the fishermen pull up in their nets all of this trash and all of this plastic—and no fish,” says Rachael Lobeck, a 4ocean spokesperson. That’s when a solution dawned on them: Why couldn’t they employ fishermen to collect this rubbish instead of fish? And so 4ocean was born.

The design is simple—4ocean removes 1 pound of trash for every bracelet sold—and it’s proved effective. They’ve pulled more than 4 million pounds of trash in just two years.

Along with on-water operations at its home base in South Florida, 4ocean has established flourishing cleanup enterprises in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Bali, Indonesia, where they have local employees and cleanup crews removing and sorting pollutants from beaches, waterways and the ocean.

“You have this community coming together, and outside of just cleaning it up, it’s bringing awareness to the problem and changing lives,” says Lobeck.

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With global cleanups entirely funded through their product sales and bracelets being made from recycled materials they’ve collected, 4ocean is able to cultivate a circular economy around the removal of ocean plastics.

4ocean currently employs over 300 people worldwide, and its goal, Lobeck says, is to keep expanding cleanup operations in different locations around the globe.

GET INVOLVED:

1. Buy a Bracelet
Made from recycled water bottles and recycled glass bottles that 4ocean collects, each bracelet signifies their mission for a cleaner ocean and represents the promise of pulling a pound of trash or plastic.

If you want to support ocean conservation even further, you can choose to purchase one of 4ocean’s animal-themed bracelets, which roll out every month and support other worthy causes.

“Each month, aside from representing our promise to pull one pound per purchase, we partner with a nonprofit or a charity,” says Lobeck. Through these monthly bracelet releases, 4ocean has donated over $300,000 to additional marine conservation efforts.

“However we can do more for ocean health and conservation, that’s the goal,” she says.

2. Sign Up and Share
Cleaning the ocean doesn’t just mean removing trash—it also means making sure there’s less trash to contribute to the problem. That’s why 4ocean is also dedicated to inspiring people around the world to reduce their consumption of single-use plastic.

Sign up for 4ocean’s newsletter at the bottom of its homepage, 4ocean.com, to receive updates and tips on how to cut single-use items from your life. And follow 4ocean on social media to share their informative content with your followers. By showing your network that you care about these issues, you’re encouraging them to take note and consider their own habits as well.

“Education and awareness leads to change,” says Lobeck. “And if we don’t change our choices as consumers, we’re not going to change the problem we’re having with ocean plastic.”

3. Participate in a Community Cleanup
In addition to operations in Haiti, Indonesia and South Florida, 4ocean helps facilitate Community Cleanups across the U.S. The events are open to the public and serve as a great opportunity for hands-on involvement in the cleanup process.

Check 4ocean’s cleanup page for postings and scheduling of cleanups to stay up to date. If you don’t see a cleanup in your area, you can still make a positive impact by organizing your own local cleanup event. And, of course, if you’re not near a waterway, you can always buy a bracelet to have 4ocean pick up a pound of trash for you.