4Ocean is known to be a for-profit founded in 2017, in Boca Raton, Florida. 4Ocean retails products like bracelets, apparel, and other products that are sourced from recycled and environmentally sustainable materials.
4Ocean is also a certified B corporation that entails private certification of environmental and social performance of for-profit organizations. The company uses the profits generated by bracelet sales to remove one pound of ocean trash and also of coastlines.
This is to reduce environmentally degrading plastic waste in the ocean. 4Ocean has its cleanup operations set up in Bali, Florida, Haiti, and Guatemala and also organizes volunteer activities in different countries.
The company has a “One Pound Promise” policy which means that one pound of plastic waste would be removed from oceans per item sold from the store.
4Ocean was founded with a vision that good for our planet can come from a business. Individual efforts and collectives eventually can lead to a better eco-friendly society.
As one of the public benefit organizations and a certified B corporation, 4Ocean is committed to ending plastic crises surrounding us.
4Ocean has certified professionals and full-time captains onboard that recover the harmful ocean debris that is polluting the ocean. This company also invests in reducing plastic waste by educating people of the global crisis caused by it.
It also focuses on teaching people about the alternatives due to their dependence on the single-use of plastic. Every pound of plastic and other trash picked helps the company’s global clean-up operation.
This helps in growing the movement surrounding the elimination of single-use plastic and ending plastic waste. The total number of plastic waste trash in pounds since 2017 is 21,710,314 lbs.
This venture has 200 product and bracelet artisans along with a crew of 340 individuals which are full-time employees.
How Does 4Ocean Recover Plastic?
- Boats – to maximize this eco-friendly impact, 4Ocean purchases a number of vessels that operate at oceanic and marine based localities.
- Boots – the company hires professionals and full time captain and crew to recover the plastic waste for 7 days a week.
- Booms – there is a proper installation of river’s boom service which are services regularly. This prevents waste from going into the ocean.
- Brains – a constant effort goes into investing, building and researching the alternatives of plastic and how to deal with this crisis on a global level.
With the plastic waste crisis on a global level, every company tries to have sustainable plastic recovery methods but they lack traceability of the process. It is important to know that plastic waste has originated.
4Ocean is claimed to be the only company that does so by cleaning the plastic waste with a full-time captain and crew for seven days a week. From the point the trash is recovered, it is pulled through the entire supply chain.
This process sets a standard for accuracy and accountability for the process and the products that are claimed to be sourced from ocean recycled plastic.
On the website, you can actually see the entire process displayed. The process is documented to show the daily trash cleaning happening on the oceans.
This documentation is audited and verified by the Better Business Bureau.
From the beginning of 4Ocean, it has had a very closed-loop manufacturing process on the whole. This process uses ocean-sourced plastic to make various things that you see and it also funds the global fund to lessen the plastic crisis.
One of the signature items is the iPhone cases made from the same plastic.
Is 4Ocean Really Cleaning The Ocean?
Ever since the year 2017, 4Ocean has been making bracelets and other products from ocean plastic. The goal has been to start a conversation about how the environment can be preserved with less to zero plastic waste.
Until now, 4Ocean claims that it has removed up to 7 million pounds of plastic waste from rivers, oceans, and streams.
While spending your money on these bracelets you do get a lot of questions in your head – How much of the money is actually going to the cleaning? Is it legit or not? How to know where your money is being invested?
Is 4Ocean Really Making A Difference?
This question is clearly sourced from the point of legitimacy of this company. The internet has some mixed opinions about it.
Most people support this company due to it appearing as a non-profit. Well, many people believe that it is just an act and 4Ocean is not a charity.
The charity thing is not stated anywhere on the website and the company tries way too hard to make everyone believe the former.
The production cost of the bracelet is way less and it is said that one pound of plastic is cleaned and all sales revenue goes to it. Question is, how much of the sales revenue is for the cause if the production cost is not much.
In a 2017 press release, 4Ocean actually claimed and boasted about having a cleanup campaign in 27 countries’ coastlines and oceans. The amount of trash, according to the company’s claim, was 820,000 lbs.
Whereas 24 of the countries only saw one cleanup campaign by volunteers through which the collections are counted.
Now 7 million lbs of plastic trash, is a big claim. According to a review on Trustpilot that said that the trash is not actually cleaned from the beach but instead was picked from the car parking area.
One might think of it as a good thing, but the company crew actually tip it off as beach trash. Which is a total representation of what 4Ocean tells its customers. This is misleading that cons people into thinking that this trash came from the beach.
Later on, 4Ocean did respond to the review but did not deny anything stated clearly.
These doubts only rose due to a lack of information from 4Ocean. If this company gives out a clear statement about these allegations and provides sufficient knowledge, it’ll be great for its future of it.
