4Ocean

“4ocean was founded on the belief that business can be a force for good and that the small choices we make every day, collectively, have the power to change the world. We’re on a mission to end the ocean plastic crisis. We’re here to clean the ocean, protect marine life, and address the human impacts of plastic pollution.” -Co-Founder and CEO Alex Schulze

Credit: 4Ocean

Balinese plastic boat

Credit: 4Ocean

Alex Schulze and Andrew Cooper, founders of 40cean
Alex Schulze and Andrew Cooper, who both grew up in Florida and made their living from the ocean, were inspired to start 4ocean after taking a surf trip to Bali in 2015. In Bali, they began to understand the severity of the ocean plastic crisis and its impact on the coastal communities that, like them, relied on the health of the ocean to survive.
As the interconnected threats of plastic pollution and climate change continue to grow, those who rely on the health of the ocean for their livelihoods will find it increasingly difficult to earn a living. That’s why 4ocean is committed to hiring people who live in the communities they serve. The jobs they create help counteract the economic impacts of plastic pollution, incentivize environmental stewardship at the local level, and bring new opportunities for growth, equality, education, and prosperity to people whose lives are disproportionately impacted by plastic pollution.

Credit: 4Ocean

Plastic pollution Guatemala coastline.

Credit: 4Ocean

Balinese artisans creating 40cean’s Signature Beaded Bracelet.

One Pound Promise

4ocean’s flagship Signature Beaded Bracelet was introduced in 2017 when the company officially launched. Alex and Andrew promised to pull one pound of trash from the world’s oceans, rivers, and coastlines for every bracelet purchased. The idea quickly went viral and 4ocean pulled their one millionth pound in July 2018.
Since the very beginning, 4ocean’s co-founders have worked to create a closed-loop manufacturing process that uses their recovered ocean plastic-and other recovered materials-to create exciting new products that fund their daily cleanups. Originally made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, the Signature Beaded Bracelet was reintroduced in August 2022 with cord made from 100%, recovered 4ocean Plastic.
“This bracelet cord is made from the plastic you see our crews recovering every single day,” says Alex. “Ocean plastic is notoriously difficult to work with because it’s warped by UV light and contaminated from being in the environment. It took a lot of trial and error to create a high-quality thread from these materials, but we never gave up. And now, a dream almost four years in the making has finally come true.”

Ocean-friendly products

“Think of the ocean plastic crisis like an overflowing sink; you’ll never finish cleaning the mess if the faucet isn’t turned off first. Ending the ocean plastic crisis means overcoming our dependence on single-use plastics. We’ve curated a line of affordable alternatives so more people can avoid the single-use plastics our crews recover from the ocean most often.”

Credit: 4Ocean

40cean’s Signature Blue Beaded Bracelet

Credit: 4Ocean

Balinese crew

In addition to awareness bracelets and jewelry handcrafted by local artisans, 4ocean offers a line of reusable and sustainable alternatives to single­use plastic. These products have already diverted an estimated 3.79 trillion single-use plastic straws, bottles, cups, and utensils from the waste stream.

Ocean-first philanthropy

As members of 1% for the Planet, 4ocean donates at least one percent of their gross sales to ocean-friendly nonprofits each year. Since 2017, they’ve donated a total of almost $2 million to over 50 organizations that have a proven track record of driving positive change for the environment and our planet.

“This crisis won’t be solved by one person, company, product, or organization alone,” says Alex. “It’s important that we do our part to support other organizations in the ocean conservation community. We’re all in this together.”

Beyond carbon neutral

Every year, 4ocean partners with Sea Trees by Sustainable Surf not just to offset the company’s entire carbon footprint, but to create a positive environmental impact by restoring blue-carbon ecosystems like coral reefs, kelp and mangrove forests, and coastal watersheds. To date, 4ocean has planted over 18,000 mangroves and restored close to 5,000 sq. ft. of giant kelp forest.

Third party verified

“The sustainability marketplace is crowded with companies who claim their products are made with recovered ocean plastic or ocean-bound plastics, but it can be really tough for consumers to validate those claims without the support of a trusted third party,” Alex says.

4ocean crews follow a meticulous documentation process that allows them to trace each and every pound of trash they recover back to its source. All of this information is uploaded into their proprietary tracking system, the 4ocean Trash Tracker, which is audited quarterly by the Better Business Bureau.

GreenCircle Certified has also observed 4ocean’s cleanups, audited the 4ocean Trash Tracker, and traced the company’s recovered materials through their entire supply chain to verify the origins and integrity of all products made with 4ocean Recovered Materials.

Business partnerships

“It’s going to take more than a consumer movement to drive the urgent and immediate change we need to protect this planet. If we’re going to end the ocean plastic crisis, we will need direct action from our leaders in government and business on this issue,” says Alex. ‘We will continue to advocate for business innovation, government incentives, and cross-functional partnerships that support the creation and growth of a sustainable circular economy.”

4ocean is currently building new 828 offerings to support organizations that want to join the clean ocean movement, fund the company’s global cleanup operation, offset their plastic footprint, operate more sustainably, meet key UN SDGs as well as their own CSR and ESG initiatives, and attract new, environmentally conscious consumers.

What comes next

“Cleaning the ocean is our business,” says Alex. “Ultimately, our entire business model is designed to fund the growth and expansion of our global cleanup operation and the countless other things we do to advance our mission of ending the ocean plastic crisis. That mission is at the heart of every single thing this company will ever do.”

4ocean is about to realize another major milestone-25 million pounds of trash pulled from the world’s oceans, rivers, and coastlines!

For more information or to purchase a beaded bracelet made from recycled ocean plastic visit 4ocean.

4Ocean

“4ocean was founded on the belief that business can be a force for good and that the small choices we make every day, collectively, have the power to change the world. We’re on a mission to end the ocean plastic crisis. We’re here to clean the ocean, protect marine life, and address the human impacts of plastic pollution.” -Co-Founder and CEO Alex Schulze

Credit: 4Ocean

Balinese plastic boat

Credit: 4Ocean

Alex Schulze and Andrew Cooper, founders of 40cean
Alex Schulze and Andrew Cooper, who both grew up in Florida and made their living from the ocean, were inspired to start 4ocean after taking a surf trip to Bali in 2015. In Bali, they began to understand the severity of the ocean plastic crisis and its impact on the coastal communities that, like them, relied on the health of the ocean to survive.
As the interconnected threats of plastic pollution and climate change continue to grow, those who rely on the health of the ocean for their livelihoods will find it increasingly difficult to earn a living. That’s why 4ocean is committed to hiring people who live in the communities they serve. The jobs they create help counteract the economic impacts of plastic pollution, incentivize environmental stewardship at the local level, and bring new opportunities for growth, equality, education, and prosperity to people whose lives are disproportionately impacted by plastic pollution.

Credit: 4Ocean

Plastic pollution Guatemala coastline.

Credit: 4Ocean

Balinese artisans creating 40cean’s Signature Beaded Bracelet.

One Pound Promise

4ocean’s flagship Signature Beaded Bracelet was introduced in 2017 when the company officially launched. Alex and Andrew promised to pull one pound of trash from the world’s oceans, rivers, and coastlines for every bracelet purchased. The idea quickly went viral and 4ocean pulled their one millionth pound in July 2018.
Since the very beginning, 4ocean’s co-founders have worked to create a closed-loop manufacturing process that uses their recovered ocean plastic-and other recovered materials-to create exciting new products that fund their daily cleanups. Originally made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, the Signature Beaded Bracelet was reintroduced in August 2022 with cord made from 100%, recovered 4ocean Plastic.
“This bracelet cord is made from the plastic you see our crews recovering every single day,” says Alex. “Ocean plastic is notoriously difficult to work with because it’s warped by UV light and contaminated from being in the environment. It took a lot of trial and error to create a high-quality thread from these materials, but we never gave up. And now, a dream almost four years in the making has finally come true.”

Ocean-friendly products

“Think of the ocean plastic crisis like an overflowing sink; you’ll never finish cleaning the mess if the faucet isn’t turned off first. Ending the ocean plastic crisis means overcoming our dependence on single-use plastics. We’ve curated a line of affordable alternatives so more people can avoid the single-use plastics our crews recover from the ocean most often.”

Credit: 4Ocean

40cean’s Signature Blue Beaded Bracelet

Credit: 4Ocean

Balinese crew

In addition to awareness bracelets and jewelry handcrafted by local artisans, 4ocean offers a line of reusable and sustainable alternatives to single­use plastic. These products have already diverted an estimated 3.79 trillion single-use plastic straws, bottles, cups, and utensils from the waste stream.

Ocean-first philanthropy

As members of 1% for the Planet, 4ocean donates at least one percent of their gross sales to ocean-friendly nonprofits each year. Since 2017, they’ve donated a total of almost $2 million to over 50 organizations that have a proven track record of driving positive change for the environment and our planet.

“This crisis won’t be solved by one person, company, product, or organization alone,” says Alex. “It’s important that we do our part to support other organizations in the ocean conservation community. We’re all in this together.”

Beyond carbon neutral

Every year, 4ocean partners with Sea Trees by Sustainable Surf not just to offset the company’s entire carbon footprint, but to create a positive environmental impact by restoring blue-carbon ecosystems like coral reefs, kelp and mangrove forests, and coastal watersheds. To date, 4ocean has planted over 18,000 mangroves and restored close to 5,000 sq. ft. of giant kelp forest.

Third party verified

“The sustainability marketplace is crowded with companies who claim their products are made with recovered ocean plastic or ocean-bound plastics, but it can be really tough for consumers to validate those claims without the support of a trusted third party,” Alex says.

4ocean crews follow a meticulous documentation process that allows them to trace each and every pound of trash they recover back to its source. All of this information is uploaded into their proprietary tracking system, the 4ocean Trash Tracker, which is audited quarterly by the Better Business Bureau.

GreenCircle Certified has also observed 4ocean’s cleanups, audited the 4ocean Trash Tracker, and traced the company’s recovered materials through their entire supply chain to verify the origins and integrity of all products made with 4ocean Recovered Materials.

Business partnerships

“It’s going to take more than a consumer movement to drive the urgent and immediate change we need to protect this planet. If we’re going to end the ocean plastic crisis, we will need direct action from our leaders in government and business on this issue,” says Alex. ‘We will continue to advocate for business innovation, government incentives, and cross-functional partnerships that support the creation and growth of a sustainable circular economy.”

4ocean is currently building new 828 offerings to support organizations that want to join the clean ocean movement, fund the company’s global cleanup operation, offset their plastic footprint, operate more sustainably, meet key UN SDGs as well as their own CSR and ESG initiatives, and attract new, environmentally conscious consumers.

What comes next

“Cleaning the ocean is our business,” says Alex. “Ultimately, our entire business model is designed to fund the growth and expansion of our global cleanup operation and the countless other things we do to advance our mission of ending the ocean plastic crisis. That mission is at the heart of every single thing this company will ever do.”

4ocean is about to realize another major milestone-25 million pounds of trash pulled from the world’s oceans, rivers, and coastlines!

For more information or to purchase a beaded bracelet made from recycled ocean plastic visit 4ocean.