For some time now, we have been aware of the problem of plastic pollution in our oceans. From the switching over form plastic straws to metal straws and the from plastic bags to reusable bags, we can see that there is an attempt to make a difference. As such, companies such as 4Ocean was born. 4Ocean pledges to remove one pound of trash from the ocean for every 4Ocean bracelet sold.
Plastics present in the ocean poses as a threat to marine creatures. Fishes consume up to 24,000 tons of plastic each year and these plastics work their way up the food chain and ultimately into our stomachs. Sea turtles also mistake plastic bags for jellyfishes and other marine animals get tangled up in plastic, leading to injuries and even deaths.
“How refreshing. Two guys driven to act on behalf of the betterment of others, using the free market and personal creativity to solve a societal problem — and providing jobs and service opportunities for hundreds of others in the process.”
The Washington Times
4Ocean works to clean up the ocean in two main ways.
1. The sale of the bracelets provide funding for actual ocean clean-ups.
The company makes use of these funds to hire crew to physically remove plastic trash form the ocean. Furthermore, they install barricades at river mouths to prevent plastic from flowing in to the ocean in the first place. Also thinking ahead, they invest funds into creating better equipment to allow for the better management of the plastic problem. This project also provides the locals with jobs, improving both the environmental and social aspect of the benefited areas.
2. 4Ocean increases awareness of the plastic problem.
In my previous post, I mentioned about the rise of the number of novel environmental projects. The 4Ocean bracelets, beyond simply being a tool for the company to gather funds, are themselves a tool for the raising of awareness for the plastic problem. The fact that there is a project like this raises interest adn thus draws attention to the plastic problem. When the consumers wear the bracelets, conversations about the plastic problem can also be sparked, encouraging more people to buy the bracelets, or even contribute to the management of this issue in other ways.
References:
https://4ocean.com/cleanups/
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/ocean_plastics/
Hi Sze Jie,
Wow! Reading about companies that are for the environment instead of against it makes me hopeful. 🙂 Something that still bothers me, however, is the consumerist aspect of it all. What are your thoughts on the promotion of consumerism, even if it’s from businesses with an environmental cause?
– Rachel
Now that you’ve mentioned it, I do find consumerism one of the biggest issue with campaigns like these. Regardless of how selling these products actually generate revenue for the environmental cause, materials are still required for the manufacturing of these 4Ocean bracelets. This translates to carbon emissions being generated from the campaign itself. The shipping of these products to customers globally further increases the environmental impact of the campaign. So, while it is a good idea to reward supporters of the campaigns with bracelets made from the plastics the removed from the ocean, the campaigns would actually be more beneficial if they removed these rewards. The downside to this would be there people would have to be willing to donate to the cause without required anything in return and this may make it more difficult for 4Ocean to generate more revenue.