Client & Challenge
The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organisation, is developing advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic.
The Valorisation team is tasked to recycle the plastic catch when it is brought back to shore, and transform the ocean plastic into beautiful consumer products. Bringing the products to market, offers an additional revenue stream beyond donations, to help fund the cleanup expansion to the other four ocean gyres.
Photo credit: The Ocean Cleanup
Photo credit: The Ocean Cleanup
Photo credit: The Ocean Cleanup
Photo credit: The Ocean Cleanup
What we did and delivered
We worked in a team of experts, supported by various external partners, to bring to market the first The Ocean Cleanup branded product, made of plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. We developed and implemented a team cadence and product development process, and planned the project bringing together all parts, including recycling, product development and manufacturing, customer experience and activation, e-commerce and fulfilment.
We launched a campaign for our supporters to join us on the Plastic Journey in December of 2019, when the plastic arrived on shore. In return for a $50 donation, supporters got early access to the first product (which then was yet to be announced and launched) as well as got access to behind the scenes content for all the steps of the recycling and manufacturing process.
In October 2020, we launched the product - SUNGLASSES made with plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Every step of the journey - from pollution to product - is tracked and audited by DNV GL to certify that the plastic is truly from the patch.
Impact
100% of the proceeds go towards the continuation of the cleanup. We estimate that we can clean an area equivalent to 24 football fields of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch from the proceeds of just one pair of sunglasses. If we sell every pair, that means we could clean half a million football fields worth of ocean.
Photo credit: The Ocean Cleanup
