4ocean – on a mission to clean up our oceans
Simple name, simple goal: to grab the plastic in the oceans, recycle it, create products out of it (like travel accessories) and sell them. So simple that it is brilliant. So brilliant that, since Alex and Andrew – the two founders – started it, 4ocean gathered almost 2.65 million pounds of plastic (as of January 2019), around 1.2 million kilos. And they are creating jobs as well, around 150 around the world. That´s jaw-dropping!
During a trip in Bali, Indonesia, Alex and Andrew saw with their eyes how much plastic was floating in the sea, and the struggles of local fishermen while pushing back their boats to the shore after working. Fast-forward to 2018 and the two guys got quite far: a successful social business, 1 million followers on Instagram, but what strikes us the most is their economic impact. “By giving ocean plastic a value, we are creating a new economy for the removal of trash”, they explain on their website. Yes, because the products that they sell are completely made of plastic they grab in the ocean. And us buying their products allows them to reinvest the money in their company and get faster to the ultimate goal: to pull out every single pound of plastic from the ocean.
We are completely in love with such projects and people, so we decided to purchase two of their travel accessories, one bracelet and one travel accessory – their reusable bottle – and review them as well as the whole experience for you.
Ordering & shipping process
The 4ocean website comes with it’s integrated web shop, which is very easy to navigate. You pick the product, type in your contact details, your address, select the shipping method pay for it and done – doing good is on its way to you. Our parcel arrived within the estimated shipping time of 7-14 shipping days for international shipping. We appreciated the fact that the parcel packaging is also eco-friendly, in-line with the brand’s mission.
The 4ocean Bracelet
The bracelet is 4ocean’s staple product and what the company is most known for. It comes in a simple unisex design and fits both gals and guys. We went for the classic blue, but it’s also available in many other colors. Overall, we are very impressed with the quality of the bracelet and the fact that 90% of materials are recycled from old glass bottles and plastic. The best thing about the bracelet? By your purchase you contribute to one pound of trash being pulled from the ocean. One point where we see room for improvement: the bracelet comes with a sticker, a fabric bag and a paper flyer. One important part of preventing ocean trash is not creating it in the first place. Therefore going forward, we believe that simply receiving a bracelet without all the unnecessary extras would support the brand’s mission even more. An alternative we like is QR codes, because it gives the possibility to transmit information without using material for it!
The 4ocean Reusable Bottle
A newer product of the 4ocean line is their reusable water bottle. It comes in a simple paper packaging without all the extras – well done!;). By getting the reusable water bottle you have double impact: you pay for one pound of trash being pulled from the ocean and also cut down on your own plastic bottle usage. The bottle comes in blue and white and one size of 750 ml. We really like the design of the bottle with its double walled stainless steel and sustainable sourced bamboo top. Since we have used for some weeks now, we can say that: we like the size, the easy-to-carry handle, the fact that no drop spills and we can carry hot as well as cold beverages – it’s already a staple for us and will be for our upcoming travels.
So in summary: what are you waiting for? Get one of their travel accessories and become part of the movement!
PS: if you are interested in the topic of ocean plastic and why we should care, we can only recommend to watch the documentary A Plastic Ocean.
