Eight Accelerator Alumni Helping Reduce Plastic Pollution

Our Ocean Solutions Accelerator was created to help solve the many threats facing our ocean – and one of those most pressing crises is plastic waste pollution. This month, as we continue our recognition of Plastic-Free July, we're celebrating eight of our Accelerator solutions that are working tirelessly to help end the plastic crisis. 

Cruz Foam produces an eco-friendly styrofoam alternative solution to reduce the use of harmful EPS plastics. It is made from all-natural seafood industry waste material that creates a scalable, compostable solution – at a similar cost. The company's products are developed to provide protection and performance, but without the adverse impacts on our environment. In lab testing, Cruz Foam has broken down in 60 days or less with a 97.9% an average biodegradation in soil.

Did you know that disposable foodware makes up 30% of all waste in the United States? Not only that – the California Coastal Cleanup Project revealed that 34% of beach trash by volume is disposable foodware (!). Dispatch Goods is working to solve this crisis by eliminating disposable foodware from food delivery by integrating their service into food delivery apps, which customers to select zero-waste deliveries.

Ichthion develops and implements award-winning technologies and solutions to decrease plastic pollution in our ocean. These technologies prevent macro and micro plastics from entering into the phytoplankton growth areas in coastal zones, and provide data to inform governments about the scale of the problem – and help find solutions.

LOLIWARE is the world’s first bioplastics company dedicated to replacing single-use plastics with hyper-compostable, edible materials derived from seaweed. LOLIWARE's interdisciplinary team of expert scientists, food technologists, and seaweed biologists to developed LOLIWARE Intelligent Seaweed Technologies (LIST) – a category of materials made from seaweed (a regenerative and carbon sequestering input) that outperform paper products & bioplastics.

Novoloop turns un-recyclable plastic waste into virgin-grade chemicals and performance materials for a new circular economy. Through recycling innovations, packaging waste can be kept out of landfills and rivers and turned into long lasting materials for automotive, construction, and 3D printing applications.

Oceanworks® is the largest global marketplace for recycled ocean plastic. Oceanworks’ mission is to accelerate the market for recycled ocean plastic to clean-up the ocean, reduce the use of new virgin plastic, and eliminate demand for new plastic production. Oceanworks is positioned to be the trusted trading platform for the 100s of millions of tons of at-risk recycled plastic worldwide.

PlanetCare is helping to stop microfiber pollution – starting with your laundry machine. More than 35% of microfibers in the ocean come from our washing machines. That's because every time we wash our synthetic clothes, they shed thousands of tiny plastics pieces that go into the wastewater, enter our ecosystem and end up in the food we eat. PlanetCare is the first washing machine filter that is scientifically proven to stop 90% of microfibers with every laundry wash. Simply install a filter to your washing machine and catch thousands of tiny microfibers every time you do your laundry.

rePurpose measures and reports on their customers' plastic footprint (both individual and corporate) and calculates monetary offsets equivalent to their plastic consumption. Then, rePurpose curates a personalized guide on "Conscious Living" according to each unique footprint to help customers reduce their consumption entirely—all in pursuit of plastic neutrality! Through technology, rePurpose is creating a global movement of conscious consumers, who actively reduce plastic consumption, and offset their plastic consumption through partner organizations in India.

Stay in the loop about the Ocean Solutions Accelerator's world-changing alumni to learn about the world's next big wave of plastic waste disruptors!