After barely nine years in operation, 4ocean, a for-profit organization dedicated to ending the ocean plastic crisis, has reached a historic milestone. 4ocean announced the removal of over 50 million pounds of plastic from the world’s water bodies in under ten years.
4ocean: The largest verified ocean cleanup milestone
The organization confirmed the milestone via a press release, noting that the cleanup extended beyond plastics to include other materials contaminating the world’s oceans.
Leaning on proprietary technology, 4ocean disclosed that it tracks all recovered materials, making the 50-pound milestone one of the “largest verified ocean cleanup milestones in history.”
“Reaching 50 million pounds removed reflects years of commitment, collaboration, and belief from millions of people in a future where oceans are free from plastic pollution,” said 4ocean CEO Alex Schulze.
Meanwhile, 4ocean attributed its successes to years of concerted cleaning operations globally. Under the hood, 4ocean’s donors, business partners, and millions of customers backed the cleanup operations with the funding to reach the historic milestone.
4ocean funds its operations by selling sustainable products, specifically bracelets made from recycled materials. Using a pound-for-pound model, each product sale between the $20 range funds the removal of one pound of ocean waste.
Amid plans to scale its reach in 2026, the organization confirmed plans to roll out an Impact Dashboard to provide users with “full traceability and transparency.” While not expressly stated, there is a broad consensus that the Impact Dashboard will lean on distributed ledger technology (DLT).
Removing plastics from the ocean is only the beginning
In an interview with Charity Journal, 4ocean disclosed that removing plastics and waste is only the tip of the iceberg. After removal, every pound is sorted and processed responsibly, with recyclable materials cleaned and transformed into usable feedstock for manufacturing.
A spokesperson confirmed a growing demand for recycled plastic waste recovered from oceans among mission-aligned manufacturers. 4ocean added that its Certified Ocean Plastic program provides a “traceable and verified” supply for brands that recognize the environmental value of maritime plastic.
However, 4ocean stated that despite the rising market demand, the steep cost of recovering and recycling ocean plastics remains a significant challenge for the industry players.
“Is it yet a fully mature premium commodities market? Not entirely,” said 4ocean. “Ocean plastic is still more complex and costly to recover and process than traditional recycled streams.”
Meanwhile, nonprofits and organizations fighting to protect the environment have scaled their efforts in recent months. Furthermore, Rainforest Trust recently crossed the 60 million acre milestone for protected land, backing local partners to secure land rights.