Marine debris (i.e. man-made garbage that finds its way into the sea) can be found across the globe throughout every ocean and along our coastlines. It significantly interferes with ecosystem health, since many marine organisms mistakenly ingest this toxic trash or become entangled in it. This not only affects marine species, but can also have negative health impacts on animals that eat marine organisms that have ingested plastic debris, including humans. These secondhand plastics absorb persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that accumulate as they’re passed up the food chain and have been linked with many adverse health effects in humans (e.g. reproductive, developmental, neurological etc.). Marine debris can also have serious negative economic impacts on local tourism, fishing and recreational industries.
Many people and organizations are working tirelessly to eradicate marine debris from our beaches, reefs and oceans, including our local non-profit, Debris Free Oceans. As part of this global initiative, Debris Free Oceans has been inspiring local communities to responsibly manage the lifecycle of plastics and waste. Their holistic approach to this complicated problem focuses on the 5Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, and Redesign. Their strategy emphasizes "reduce," which will ultimately allow us to more efficiently reuse, recycle, recollect, and redesign the plastic and waste that currently reside on our beaches, reefs, and oceans. We’re stoked to partner with them to not only encourage the use of reusable bottles, but also provide them with 10% of profits from the sales of all of our Wave of Change Insulated Bottles to put towards our shared goal of having clean, healthy oceans!