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In honor of World Oceans Day here are five brands that are making waves

They reduce, reuse and recycle … and create ripples in their communities.

In honor of World Oceans Day here are five brands that are making waves
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Oceans are essential to life on our planet. They produce more than half of the world’s oxygen as well as ingredients used in cancer-fighting medicines. And they are also just plain beautiful! Summers wouldn’t be the same without a wade through waves and watching dolphins jump in the distance.

But our oceans are in trouble. Single-serve plastics and pollution threaten them and the estimated 1.6 million species that call them home. Fortunately, there are things you can do to help.

By supporting brands with ocean-forward initiatives and cutting back on single-serve plastics, you can make a huge difference in preventing damage to our oceans and the species that live within them.

In honor of World Oceans Day, we’re showcasing five brands that not only make awesome products, but help create a more sustainable future by protecting our seas. Whether they’re removing ocean impact plastics or offering longer-lasting alternatives to single-serve necessities, each of these brands is making a major splash. Let’s dive in!

1. GOT BAG. The cat is out of the gotbag, or at least that’s part of this brand’s mission. By collecting plastic from our oceans, coastal waterways, mangrove forests and the delta areas of nearby rivers and using new, innovative recycling technologies, GOT BAG has developed a line of super stylish and sustainable backpacks made of ocean-impact plastic! The company works with a network of more than 2,500 Indonesian fishermen who catch plastic waste as bycatch. The plastics are then removed from the ocean and coastal areas, cleaned and recycled, then ground up and processed into high-quality yarn and polyester fabric. GOT BAG turns trash into treasure by creating lightweight, durable, fashion-forward backpacks, bags and accessories that are not only great for everyday use, but recycle roughly 9.9 pounds of ocean-impact plastic per product! To date, GOT BAG has recovered and recycled nearly 1 million pounds of plastic from oceans and other waterways. From June 8 to June 14, get a 20% discount on the entire GOT BAG assortment, while the brand plants five mangroves in Indonesia for every product sold.


2. G95.  The G95 Oceanshield is a modern response to a modern problem. It’s no secret that single-use masks have become a big pollutant including winding up floating in our waterways or washed ashore on our beaches. With the G95 Oceanshield single-use mask, everything from the ear straps to the nose guard to the state-of-the-art filtration system is made from plant-based materials that and will completely biodegrade within 90 days! Or you can send your Oceanshield mask back to G95 free of charge and the company will recycle the masks for you, so they don’t end up where they shouldn’t and can be reprocessed and reused.


3. Package Free. A brand that truly lives up to the name, Package Free provides plastic-free versions of the products we all use daily, including laundry detergent, refillable body lotions, compostable cat litter bags and refillable cleaning supplies. It also offers recycling services for difficult-to-recycle produces such as certain packaging materials, electronics and plastics.


4. SeaVees. Sea the change with these super stylish and comfortable shoes! One dollar from every pair of shoes in the collection goes to SeaTrees, a nonprofit that works to restore blue carbon coastal ecosystems and ocean health globally. The company also works with Un Mar de Colores, an organization that helps bring future generations of historically marginalized youths to the sport of surfing. And while they can’t yet let you walk on water, they do just fine in the sand—we’ve checked!


5. Lollygag. Run, don’t walk but lollygag over to this site! Lollygag makes replacing single-serve plastics with unique and environmentally sound alternatives a walk in the park! Try the reusable travel flatware, chic cloth napkins, Swedish drying cloths and silicon straws with their own carrying cases.

Upworthy has earned revenue through a partnership and/or may earn a portion of sales revenue from purchases made through links on our site.

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Ocean Wise
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Planet

Easy (and free!) ways to save the ocean

The ocean is the heart of our planet. It needs our help to be healthy.

Ocean Wise

Volunteers at a local shoreline cleanup

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The ocean covers over 71% of the Earth’s surface and serves as our planet’s heart. Ocean currents circulate vital heat, moisture, and nutrients around the globe to influence and regulate our climate, similar to the human circulatory system. Cool, right?

Our ocean systems provide us with everything from fresh oxygen to fresh food. We need it to survive and thrive—and when the ocean struggles to function healthfully, the whole world is affected.

Pollution, overfishing, and climate change are the three biggest challenges preventing the ocean from doing its job, and it needs our help now more than ever. Humans created the problem; now humans are responsible for solving it.

#BeOceanWise is a global rallying cry to do what you can for the ocean, because we need the ocean and the ocean needs us. If you’re wondering how—or if—you can make a difference, the answer is a resounding YES. There are a myriad of ways you can help, even if you don’t live near a body of water. For example, you can focus on reducing the amount of plastic you purchase for yourself or your family.

Another easy way to help clean up our oceans is to be aware of what’s known as the “dirty dozen.” Every year, scientists release an updated list of the most-found litter scattered along shorelines. The biggest culprit? Single-use beverage and food items such as foam cups, straws, bottle caps, and cigarette butts. If you can’t cut single-use plastic out of your life completely, we understand. Just make sure to correctly recycle plastic when you are finished using it. A staggering 3 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans annually. Imagine the difference we could make if everyone recycled!

The 2022 "Dirty Dozen" ListOcean Wise

If you live near a shoreline, help clean it up! Organize or join an effort to take action and make a positive impact in your community alongside your friends, family, or colleagues. You can also tag @oceanwise on social if you spot a beach that needs some love. The location will be added to Ocean Wise’s system so you can submit data on the litter found during future Shoreline Cleanups. This data helps Ocean Wise work with businesses and governments to stop plastic pollution at its source. In Canada, Ocean Wise data helped inform a federal ban on unnecessary single-use plastics. Small but important actions like these greatly help reduce the litter that ends up in our ocean.

Ocean Wise, a conservation organization on a mission to restore and protect our oceans, is focused on empowering and educating everyone from individuals to governments on how to protect our waters. They are making conservation happen through five big initiatives: monitoring and protecting whales, fighting climate change and restoring biodiversity, innovating for a plastic-free ocean, protecting and restoring fish stocks, and finally, educating and empowering youth. The non-profit believes that in order to rebuild a resilient and vibrant ocean within the next ten years, everyone needs to take action.

Become an Ocean Wise ally and share your knowledge with others. The more people who know how badly the ocean needs our help, the better! Now is a great time to commit to being a part of something bigger and get our oceans healthy again.

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