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.