
Planet Earth is currently in a state of ‘Plastic Crisis’ and we’ve all seen the tragic photographs of baby turtles trapped in nets and innocent birds wedged in a plastic bottle. Our precious childhood memories of beaches covered in soft sand are tainted daily by the sheer amount of plastic discarded in our waters with 92% of this waste being single-use plastic!
What if we could change that? What if we could make a powerful statement? What if we could not only clean our oceans, but put all that waste to good use? You could join us in the global campaign to ‘Clean Our Waters!’

What if the shoes you wear every day could play a huge part in that? Well that’s the key idea behind Parley for the Oceans.
Founded by activist and designer Cyrill Gutsch, Parley is driven by the foundation that creatively influences change and raise awareness.
Recently Parley launched their ‘Historic Earth Day partnership’, having teamed up with sportswear giant Adidas. The collaboration saw every major league soccer team donning jerseys made from materials supplied by Parley, which were created from recycled plastic bottles retrieved from the Ocean cleanup. Running shoes have also been created in the same way, creating a bold statement unlike any other and reaching out to us all!

Gutsch believed that collaborating on such a project would be more powerful and productive in terms of displaying a message, than going about it solo. Hence, the partnership.
“People expect to be surprised, to learn new things and be inspired to change their ways” – Gutsch
Preserving our Oceans and saving marine life is a subject that many of us feel extremely strongly about, pulling on those heart strings through this project is what will drive us all to make a difference.
For many years, Environmentalism has centered around a culture of protests and warnings, however this approach does not provide a quick turn around for change. Although a fact, scientific evidence does not sway everyone. Products such as sustainable and recycled items make a bigger statement and symbolize change, acting as stronger catalysts for the future.
Adidas have since produced a large quantity of shoes in collaboration with Parley, made purely from the Ocean’s plastic waste. In 2017 1 million shoes were made with the quantity increasing to 5 million in 2018. Sadly there is enough waste to further push those numbers, therefore the next goal is to reach 11 million.

In the next five years, Parley intends to be fully operational and begin working with 40 different countries worldwide.
You can get involved with the cause by reducing the amount of single use plastic you use on a daily basis. Remove it from your life and challenge others to do the same! What are you waiting for . . .
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