4ocean is a global company that actively removes trash from the ocean and coastlines, helps create sustainable economies around the world, and inspires individuals to work together for a cleaner ocean.
Last week, the mission-driven company that is working to solve the world’s ocean plastic crisis announced it has pulled 5 million pounds of trash from oceans and coastlines worldwide. This milestone lands just two and a half years after the company’s creation.
An estimated 16 billion pounds of plastic enters the ocean each year. 4ocean, the world’s largest ocean cleanup company, is on a mission to stop this plastic crisis by recovering and recycling plastic pulled from the ocean, advocating for sustainable innovation and inspiring people around the world to reduce their consumption of single-use plastic.
Through worldwide support and the sale of post-consumer recycled material bracelets, 4ocean is proud to share its most recent achievement with its community – a community focused on the same mission as 4ocean co-founders Alex Schulze and Andrew Cooper.
“Five million pounds is a large amount of trash, but we still have a long way to go,” said Schulze. “It’s also preventable. So much of what we collect is single-use plastic which was created for convenience. We’re not only trying to clean our ocean but stop it at the source.”
4ocean recently announced a strong focus on expanding product development. With the increase of its product offering, the brand plans to release tools that help people reduce their consumption of single-use plastic while also creating everyday goods that are made from repurposed materials collected in 4ocean’s global cleanup operations.
“We will always be a mission-first company,” said 4ocean co-founder Andrew Cooper. “With ocean health at the core of our business, we strive to clean the trash that is already polluting our ocean and encourage people to live sustainable lifestyles on land.”
Since its founding in 2017, 4ocean has officially removed 5 million pounds of trash from the ocean and coastlines, a statistic that is documented and audited by the Better Business Bureau. The company currently employs more than 300 people in the U.S., Indonesia and Haiti.
Global cleanup operations are funded entirely through the sale of their products, where every item purchased funds the removal of one pound of trash from the ocean. By creating jobs, utilizing the latest technology, and raising awareness about the impact of plastic and trash in the ocean, the company is building the first economy for ocean plastic and creating a cleaner, more sustainable future for the ocean.
Also of note, the UN Environment Programme provides the following startling statistics that just might spur paddlers into action:
>>The world produces more than 400 million tons of plastic every year.
>>At current rates of consumption and recycling, there will be around 12 billion tons of plastic waste in landfills, dumps, and the environment by 2050.
>>Marine litter harms over 600 aquatic species.
>>It’s estimated that more than 1 trillion plastic bags are discarded worldwide each year.
>>99% of seabirds will have ingested plastic by 2020.
For more information, visit 4ocean.com and follow @4ocean on Instagram.