When two friends took a surfing trip, they were inspired to solve the problem with plastics in the ocean. As a by-product, they built a business.
Alex Schulze and Andrew Cooper went to Bali in Indonesia to surf in what they expected to be pristine waters. When they asked locals why the beaches were filled with plastic and aren’t cleaned, they were told that they clean them every day, but the ocean keeps pushing tons of plastic back on the beach.
They couldn’t believe how much plastic was in the ocean and they were shocked that no one was actively trying to solve the problem. They observed fisherman overwhelmed by plastic and unable to pull fish out of the ocean. The fisherman had to navigate through a sea of plastic to get out to a fishing area.
They wondered, what would happen if the fisherman had an incentive to pull the plastic out of the ocean, instead of fish. Could their nets be used to support a different way to make a living? What if there was a way to pay fisherman to remove plastic instead of fish?
This experience is how the 4ocean business and their recycled bracelet was born.
Made from recycled materials, every $20 dollar bracelet purchased funds the removal of 1 pound of trash from the ocean and coastlines. Their tagline is to help them pull a pound.
In less than two years, 4ocean has removed 2,122,463 pounds of waste from the ocean and coastlines.
An article in the Wall Street Journal says that 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean each year, and 10% is in Indonesia.
4ocean currently operates out of multiple countries and employs over 150 people worldwide. They have sold more than 30 million dollars’ worth of recycled bracelets to fund their operation.
4 Pillars
These entrepreneurs create bracelets made from recycled plastic waste. They established four pillars for their business:
- Optimizing Technology – Using the latest approach to remove plastic debris from the ocean.
- Creating Jobs – Every hour of every day, someone has a job cleaning the ocean and pulling the plastic
- Education and Awareness– They believe that a core aspect of their mission is educating individuals, corporations, and government to the threats of ocean plastics.
- New Economies – By giving ocean plastic a value, they are creating a new economy.
When a consumer buys a bracelet for $20, they are pulling a pound of plastic out of the ocean. The bracelets are 90% recycled materials and are made on Bali to provide jobs.
A New Business Model
4ocean has created a different kind of business model based on a simple idea. Like the Plastic Bank, it begins to place value on trash. In seeing the problem differently, a solution floats to the top.
Humans created the problem of ocean plastic and now companies like 4ocean are solving the problem, one pound at a time. Pretty inspiring stuff.
Human imagination. It is the killer app.
To learn more about 4ocean, watch this video.
Maybe it is time to recycle an old marketing idea? You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Try my new chat feature on my site if you have a quick question.
Photo: Courtesy of 4ocean
