Key takeaways
- The purchase of each Ocean Bottle funds the collection of 11.4kg of plastic (1000 plastic bottles)
- In partnership with Plastic Bank, Ocean Bottle support plastic collectors with a wage X3 times the market rate
- By 2025, Ocean Bottle have committed to removing 80,000 tonnes of plastic from the ocean (7 billion plastic bottles)
At a glance
Since 2018, Ocean Bottle have been turning the tide on plastic pollution. Through authentic, purpose led design –buying this refillable water bottle directly contributes to removing waste from the oceans and funding local jobs in the process.
Their innovative approach to product design, radical company transparency and partnership with blockchain company Plastic Bank have shown that it is possible to change the world with each individual purchase.
The team at Ocean Bottle are thirsty for change, this spotlight feature looks at the huge wake of positive impact the company are making and includes takeaways from my conversation with Co-Founder, Will Pearson.
In focus
Did you know close to 20 million kg of plastic enter our oceans every day? Many of us are already educated on the pervasive issues of single use plastics embedded with the knowledge that by 2050, the oceans will contain more plastic by weight than fish. (For more on plastic pollution click here). Our intertwined web of plastic dependency was what prompted Will Pearson and Nick Doman to launch Ocean Bottle.
This is no ordinary H20 vessel. The sale of each bottle funds the collection of precisely 11.4kg of plastic, which is the equivalent to 1000 plastic bottles. That’s not all – through the purchasing of an Ocean Bottle, you are directly investing in supporting the communities charged with collecting and mitigating plastic pollution in countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia.
Sleek and compact, the bottles have won a flurry of awards in a short span of time including the reddot Product Design Award and Green Product awards. Aesthetically pleasing is not all, as the design embraces circularity with its cradle to cradle approach to materials facilitated by design partners K8. This ensures the bottle is fully recyclable at the end of its consumer use phase in the life cycle.
In the age of the Internet of Things, embedded into each Ocean Bottle is a smart chip – this has been strategically placed to permit users to fund even more plastic pollution for free! How does this work? Simply refill your Ocean Bottle at their designated partner locations and it spurs on the chain of plastic collection and environmental management. Each visit to an Ocean Bottle partner triggers the smart chip technology which creates new income opportunities for people responsible for the management of plastic waste. This provides a platform for locals living in areas of high plastic pollution to exchange their collected plastic for valuable rewards with the Ocean Bottle partner Plastic Bank.
Using technology to champion change, Ocean Bottle’s collaboration with social enterprise, Plastic Bank is a marker for celebration. Plastic Bank use IBM blockchain technology to trace plastic collection within their network. This level of transparency means they are able to put a value on plastic waste whilst simultaneously supporting communities in coastal areas to make a higher wage from collecting plastic. Ocean Bottle note this wage is up to three times the market rate and creates additional value for the collectors who are then able to exchange plastic for money tokens, healthcare, school tuition and access to micro-finance.
This differs from traditional donations and aims to create a long-term sustainable economy in geographies engulfed by the plastic pandemic.
We need initiatives like Ocean Bottle to ripple throughout the world if we are to achieve the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Removing plastic from water sources has a direct impact in protecting coastal communities and ensuring safe water environments and ecosystems.
In addition to their utilisation of blockchain technology, the level of transparency Ocean Bottle promote is my favourite thing about the business. Their ‘No Bull Shit Sustainability’ Policy is an indication of their mission to combat greenwashing in a world where misleading ‘sustainable’ products are being increasingly pushed onto citizens.
“If a company is willing to commit itself to a cause, why not pledge tangible numbers that can be easily tracked and showcase the actual contributions. Why not focus on the impact, rather than the action?”.
Ocean Bottle’s rigorous approach to radical transparency extends to the provenance of their bottles and origins of production – China. Whilst acknowledging Made in China labels are synonymous with low quality and cheap labour across the value chain, Will and Nick have shared their process on selecting a responsible production partner who has the capabilities to deliver the quality the Ocean Bottle design requires. What’s more – not only have they been to visit the facilities, their production partner is in the process of applying for Green Factory certificates and B Corp status – an accolade that would make it one of the only four in the world which has this.
A final word on this, with truly nothing to hide, Ocean Bottle share their pricing model on their website and benchmark best practice for businesses making more than bottom line profit.
In conversation with Will Pearson, Co-Founder of Ocean Bottle
Galvanised and driven to combat the plastic pandemic, Co-Founder of Ocean Bottle Will Pearson and I caught up to get acquainted with the mission behind the brand and dive deeper into what’s happening behind the scenes.
With a background in engineering and business, Will awoke to the magnitude of the world’s plastic pollution during his travels to Colombia and time spent working on a boat in the Maldives. He clocked the rivers and surrounding water areas choking with waste and couldn’t avert his eyes from the monstrosity.
Since founding the company in 2018, alongside Co-Founder Nick, Will is reinventing corporate social responsibility with Ocean Bottle and their ‘No Bullshit Sustainability’ policy. He cited the need for a radical transparency that at times may come off a little strong but is necessary given the current trajectory of the climate and the status of our oceans.
Exploring the journey of Ocean Bottle thus far, for Will, the most exciting time since launching was sending the initial drop of bottles out to those that had supported from the offset and measuring the impact! To date, they have now removed 620,000 kg (equivalent to 54 million plastic bottles) from the world’s oceans.
On challenges – Will said as with any start-up with few resources, the ability to wear many hats and improvise has been crucial, especially when he mentioned sending Ocean Bottles to 88 different countries!
No conversation on business in 2020, is complete without a look at a company’s response to COVID-19. The global pandemic has had a greater impact for the plastic collecting communities as they lack the economic and health infrastructure which can mitigate the risks of the virus. For plastic collectors, this is their sole source of income and as lockdown has rendered this work dangerous and restricted it has had a subsequent impact on their livelihoods.
To tackle this, Ocean Bottle have partnered with Plastic Bank who have set up a relief fund in direct response to the pandemic. This provides collectors who are unable to work with microloans and access to finance. By purchasing a limited edition Obsidian Black Ocean Bottle, 25% of each sale will directly to the Plastic Bank Community Relief Fund.
On reflection, Will highlighted how the outbreak of coronavirus illustrated how we can all collaborate and come together to solve global challenges.
What does the future have in store for Ocean Bottle? By 2025, the team have committed to removing 80,000 tonnes of plastic from the ocean, that’s the equivalent of seven billion plastic bottles. Essentially one bottle for every person on the planet!
In the short term, with the appetite for Ocean Bottle’s vision growing, they will be looking to expand the team and drive marketing forward to accelerate the benefits for plastic collectors across the globe.
The most eagerly anticipated part of Ocean Bottle’s plans surrounds garnering investment for their smart chip platform to promote the use of the products smart chip technology as aforementioned.
Will’s recommended sustainable read: Unhabitable Earth by David Wallace Wells
Final thoughts
The impact Ocean Bottle is having on saving our oceans and creating long term economic support for communities is directly working to achieve Sustainable Development Goals 6 & 12 (clean water & responsible production & consumption).
With each purchase, we are casting a vote for a future world we want to create. As we continue throughout the climate decade, it’s important to remember environmental justice, is social justice too and the team at Ocean Bottle deliver that message loud and clear.
Ocean Bottle – RRP £40
Features: 500ml, stainless steel, up-cycled ocean bound plastic, dishwasher safe.
You can purchase your Ocean Bottle and learn more about their mission here.
If you enjoyed this article be sure to check out why we need to turn the tide on plastic and the S & S expose on exporting plastic.
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