OceanR, which clothes a number of superyacht crew with its eco-friendly apparel, has forged a relationship with an environmental non-profit. It’s paired with UOcean, focused on cleaning, protecting, and restoring the oceans, to plant mangroves in a carbon-offset program.
OceanR has a line of for-purchase clothing plus custom clothing that upcycles ocean waste. Primarily it uses plastic bottles plucked from the sea. Discarded fishing nets and organic cotton are materials as well. The motoryachts Legend, Infinity, Scott Free, and Nirvana as well as the sailing superyacht Endeavour are among its clients. So, too, are the Necker Island resort and Ritz-Carlton resorts. About 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) of marine plastics goes into each core item the company makes. The company says that since its founding six years ago, it’s repurposed 1.5 million plastic bottles.
UOcean, meanwhile, has pledged to remove 1 billion kilos (2.2 billion pounds) of plastic from oceans, canals, rivers, and shorelines globally by 2030. It enlists the help of local communities as well as businesses in 33 countries.
The two companies met at last September’s Monaco Yacht Show. Each exhibited in the Sustainability Hub there, which features companies providing environmentally friendly solutions. Naturally, the shared focus on cleaning up ocean plastics opened the door to a deeper conversation. Specifically, the duo wanted to go farther. Tom Cotter, OceanR’s founder, says that his company already calculated the staff’s carbon footprints, as well as the carbon footprint of its shipping and products. However, he wanted to do more, “that we could really track and see this in action, by teaming up with an initiative which has a tangible global impact.” Mangrove planting especially appealed, equally with a trustworthy partner.
UOcean’s founder, Chris Desai, and his team plan to plant 200 to 400 mangroves every month in Indonesia to offset OceanR’s footprint. “This quarter, this added up to a grand total of 2,700 kilos of carbon,” Cotter notes.
“We have a reputation as a young, dynamic, and disruptive charity, aiming to decolonize conservation by working across communities and uniting people,” Desai asserts. He adds, “Our growth over the last four years has been exceptional, just like that of OceanR. This means it is the perfect time for us to come together and see what we can achieve when we join forces.”
Furthermore, Cotter notes that he and his team will actually know the names of the people planting the mangroves. “It is so much more personal, and they love what they are doing,” he says. “The community element of this project is massive for us.”
OceanR oceanr.co
UOcean uocean.org
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