Business solutions for cleaner oceans
OceanCycle is a social enterprise focused on preventing ocean plastic pollution and improving livelihoods in coastal communities through certification and direct social interventions.
Through certification, our partners have achieved:
Bottles Diverted from the Ocean
Income to Coastal Communities
kg of CO2 Prevented
Let’s stop ocean plastic
– for good.
Prevention is key
Over 80% of plastic in our oceans starts on land, and research shows that what does get in the water sinks to the bottom and is difficult to recover.
Most ocean plastic cannot be recycled
Plastic in the water gets degraded by salt and light and attracts toxins and microorganisms. It also breaks into small pieces and mixes with other plastics making cleaning and sorting difficult and costly.
The problem is bad and getting worse
Over 11 million tons of new plastic enters the ocean each year—a figure that is projected to triple by 2040.
People are the answer
Plastic is collected by hand in the countries most at risk for ocean plastic pollution. Solving the problem requires understanding the needs of community collectors and providing them with the tools for success.
Theory of Change
There is no silver bullet to solve the ocean plastic problem.
True impact requires engaging and orchestrating a host of stakeholders across the entire value chain. Starting by driving demand for ocean-bound material and working with coastal collection communities all the way through to the manufacturing and sales of new products. If any part of the value chain breaks down it is more likely more plastic will enter the ocean.
Find out how together we can stop plastic waste from entering the ocean by 2030.
Driving Scale
OceanCycle is a change catalyst bringing solutions to scale in three major ways:
Material Certification
Bringing trust and transparency to the market for ocean-bound material with a verified chain of custody covering ethical coastal collection through to manufacturing
Community Impact
Investing in the livelihoods of the people at the front lines of ocean plastic prevention—assessing needs, tracking progress and measuring results
Business Consultation
Helping companies understand how best to engage in solving the ocean plastic problem and connecting them with the right companies and vendors to meet their technical and material needs
Partners in a brighter future
We partner with a global network of brands, retailers and manufacturers to maximize the use of certified ocean-bound materials in new products. Because of our industry-leading tracking and data collection system, we can pinpoint the precise collection points of ocean-bound materials, in what quantities, and the income generated in those at-risk coastal communities.
To date, companies using material certified by OceanCycle are responsible for recycling more than 23,150 metric tons (the equivalent of 926 million plastic bottles) —the largest collective global ocean plastic pollution prevention effort to date.
Discover why the OceanCycle Certification is the most trusted in the industry.
Latest insights
See how our team and partners around the world are working to curb ocean plastic pollution and ensure on-the-ground impact. Catch up on the latest news, press and shoutouts from the field.
