Highlights from 2021: A year of action, innovation and change
2021 saw cleanups ramping up again, new spaces opening, new alliances forming and global momentum growing. Ahead of our 10th anniversary, we’re looking back on what’s possible in a year of collaboration for the oceans. Below are just some of the highlights.
A GROWING GLOBAL CLEANUP NETWORK
Throughout 2021, Parley teams led an incredible series of cleanups and events under the continuing complications of the pandemic – from the mangrove forests of Brazil to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, from the Patagonian wilderness of Argentina to the shores of Sri Lanka – which in May were devastated by plastic pellets and toxic chemicals spilling from the stricken MV X-Press Pearl cargo ship. Working with local organizations worldwide on a weekly basis and key partners like Surfers Against Sewage, the Parley Global Cleanup Network has now welcomed 408,970 volunteers from all across the world to the Parley family – creating a global movement of change-makers, ocean activists and hard-working do-ers. If you’ve ever taken part in a cleanup, you know what we mean.
Join us in 2022 by finding a Parley group in your country or registering to be the first to take action. With your help, we plan to conduct cleanups in every country with a coastline by 2030.
RESPONDING TO OCEAN EMERGENCIES
Collaboration across local communities, NGOs and activists has empowered Parley teams to organize and strengthen responses to ecological disasters. When the MV X-Press Pearl cargo ship spilled thousands of barrels of plastic nurdles and harmful chemicals into the Indian Ocean in what’s been deemed Sri Lanka’s worst marine ecological disaster, and the largest-ever plastic spill in history, we raised funds to support emergency response teams and aid the long remediation journey ahead.
In South Africa, our collaborative initiative The Litterboom Project continued to intercept as much as 33,000 lbs of plastic per month through the installation of floating booms in five major river systems near Durban, providing a simple yet effective means of curbing ocean-bound pollution, especially through the rainy season. On the Umgeni River alone, the team intercepted and sorted over 85,980 lbs (39,000 kg) of plastic waste in 2021. They’re currently hard at work removing a flood of waste from the Umhlanga River following severe storms in the KwaZulu-Natal Province, emphasizing once again the urgent need for solutions upstream.
Meanwhile, along South Africa’s Wild Coast, fossil fuel giant Shell moved to conduct seismic blasting for oil and gas exploration and extraction, causing noise pollution that threatens to decimate the area’s sensitive wildlife and ecosystem. Parley and collaborators Sentinel Ocean Alliance, The Litterboom Project, Eyeforce and Ocean Collective rallied support for efforts to stop the surveys and amplify the Oceans Not Oil message. Watch a short update from recent protests here, and keep an eye on the legal challenge ahead. A big win arrived in late December, when a local court ordered Shell to temporarily halt the surveys. The lesson: Community organizing works.
CLEAN WAVES
Our creative collaboration label and impact platform returned for summer with a new core range of Archetype sunglasses and a limited edition, created by British / Sri Lankan artist and activist Mathangi ‘Maya’ Arulpragasam – aka M.I.A. With all-new materials derived from reclaimed fishing nets and marine plastic debris, Clean Waves questions the idea of ‘Away’ and connects remote islands on the frontlines of this crisis with a global community of creative leaders to drive solutions.
This year’s editions directly support cleanups on some of the most remote of the Maldives’ 1200 islands – distant atolls and archipelagos that are rich in marine biodiversity, but among the most vulnerable to marine plastic pollution. Stay tuned for our new drop next spring, with artists Inez & Vinoodh.
FORESTS OF THE SEA
An increasingly recognized part of the global carbon equation, kelp forests cover over 28% of the world’s coastlines, and are found fringing every continent except Antarctica. They play a vital role in sequestering carbon, protecting coastlines from erosion, purifying water, providing a habitat for thousands of species and supporting coastal communities. The high levels of biodiversity present in kelp forests make them critical ecosystems in supporting the immune system of the oceans and our planet, but they’re also one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to shifting climates.
In 2021, Parley and Sea Change Project joined forces to launch Forests of the Sea – a pioneering new initiative connecting scientists, researchers, communities and creatives to explore, study and protect the world’s remaining kelp forests. As the new year dawns, we’re thrilled to welcome new collaborators Mission Blue, Oceans 2050, SeaLegacy, Fundación Rompietes and explorer Mike Horn to the project, which will begin in earnest this March with an expedition in Patagonia. Beyond exploration and media advocacy, Forests of the Sea is developing the first comprehensive study of the ecology, status and roles of kelp ecosystems. Led by renowned scientists Dr. Sylvia Earle and Dr. Carlos Duarte, the program will bring together a global network of researchers to develop a global standard for kelp forests’ role as carbon sinks; create an environmental DNA (eDNA) baseline of end-to-end biodiversity in algal forests globally; monitor the trajectories of kelp forests to help to identify conservation hotspots; and develop baselines of the soundscape and plastic loads found in these marine ecosystems.
A SEA OF COLLABORATION
2021 saw the expansion of our long-term partnership with adidas – with a short film series exploring our work, the launch of new apparel and footwear made from Ocean Plastic® and the return of Run for the Oceans globally. We continued our Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia initiatives with the World Bank and SACEP, and our hard-working team in the Maldives and Parley’s ongoing collaboration with the government there helped bring about a landmark ban on the import of many single-use plastic items including all plastic straws, single-use plates, cutlery and PET beverage bottles as part of a wider push by the government of the Republic of Maldives to largely eliminate plastic waste by 2023. American Express, meanwhile, helped us carry out a series of tough cleanup expeditions to protect the Great Barrier Reef in the far north of Australia as part of their ongoing work to #BackourOceans.
With Brita, we explored the Future of Water and partnered on an ongoing commitment to intercept marine plastic debris equal to their currently unavoidable plastic footprint. In our continued effort to drive change through the financial industry, Parley Ocean Plastic® is now certified with Mastercard and Visa, and we’ve also partnered with Doconomy to educate everyday consumers on the impact of their purchasing decisions. Innovative Australian fintech startup WLTH joined the movement with a five-year commitment to help us protect Australian coastlines and most recently committed to further action through our partnership with the Australian SailGP Team. Over the course of the partnership so far, Parley and the crew have hosted a Parley Ocean School and implemented changes at sea and on land ranging from the removal of single-use plastics to the use of clean energy.
Finally, as the year drew to a close, we raised One for the Sea and celebrated the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Rowing Challenge as part of their incredible commitment to helping us protect and preserve 100 million square meters of marine ecosystems around the world by 2023.
AIR STATIONS & OCEAN SCHOOLS
Following the opening of our first permanent Parley Ocean School and AIR Station in South Africa, 2021 brought a game-changing expansion to Parley Hawai‘i – one of our most active programs. As part of this year’s Earth Week celebrations, our team constructed and unveiled the latest and largest Parley AIR Station to date on the grounds of the renowned Bishop Museum on the island of Oʻahu. The Parley AIR Station Hawai‘i is a community hub for collaboration, education and eco-innovation, built to inspire action on plastic pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss and other major threats to the oceans.
At the Parley AIR Station in Hout Bay, South Africa, our work with Sentinel Ocean Alliance has inspired over 7,000 participants through over 294 presentations, provided over 4,451 vegan meals, and helped 180 ocean warriors become safe and confident in the water with the support of coaches and mentors from the local community. 242 local youths graduated from our 8-week Parley Ocean School programs held throughout 2021. Overwhelmingly, these graduates express interest in pursuing ocean-based careers.
OCEAN UPRISE
Reaching over 120 countries this year, Parley’s youth community has expanded to 5,600+ passionate Ocean Guardians connecting and taking action to protect the oceans. The Ocean Uprise crew have now given their presentation in 40+ countries, sharing their knowledge with organizations, clubs and schools, and inviting hundreds of passionate youth to join the movement.
SYMBOLS OF CHANGE
Ocean Plastic® is our range of eco-innovative fabrics, yarns and materials made from Intercepted and upcycled marine plastic waste. Always in high demand, it creates a guaranteed destination for waste we collect, and replaces virgin plastic in industries ranging from finance to high fashion.
This year, we expanded our Ocean Plastic® partnerships with adidas and developed new consumer-empowering payment card innovations with Giesecke+Devrient, worked with the British Fashion Council to create their 2021 award trophies and Cannes Lions to create the Sustainable Development Goals Lions from reclaimed fishing nets, collaborated with Byborre to weave our materials into bespoke performance textile production, signed a new deal with supplier Majotech and helped designer Iris van Herpen bring plastic waste to the haute couture runway in her collection, Roots of Rebirth. Up next in 2022? We’re working to bring Ocean Plastic® printing on demand to islands and remote communities with our Parley Blueprint Module – a robotic 3D-printing extension to our Parley AIR Stations.
PARLEY BLUEPRINT MODULE
Working with innovation leader ABB Robotics and 3D printing experts Nagami, we recently unveiled the next stage in the evolution of our AIR Stations: Parley Blueprint Module. Presented at COP26 in Glasgow, the Parley Blueprint Module is an end-to-end solution for the plastic waste problem on islands and in remote regions, empowering local communities to turn plastic pollution into Parley Ocean Plastic® furniture, objects, building structures and business opportunities.
INNOVATION MEETS ARCHITECTURE
At this year’s 17th International Architecture Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia, Parley was honored to co-present Plasticity – an installation conceived, designed and constructed by Italian architect Niccolo Casas. At 3.6 meters high, it is the largest structure ever to be designed with Parley Ocean Plastic® and was 3D-printed by innovative Spanish design brand Nagami. The partnership represents our shared commitment to pushing the boundaries and calling in more industries to join us in a global Material Revolution.
ARTISTS FOR THE OCEANS
Beyond Plasticity, 2021 included a number of huge new art collaborations – not least of which was the long-awaited realization of L'Arc de Triomphe Wrapped, an artwork by the late artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude that saw the iconic arch on the Champs-Élysées shrouded in fabric. Working with the team, Parley will be proudly repurposing and recycling all of the fabric and ropes used in the installation.
Internationally acclaimed American artist Kenny Scharf joined the cause with a unique series of individually painted surfboards to support our work in Mexico, while Danish contemporary artist Jeppe Hein created a limited edition flag made from Ocean Plastic® in collaboration with Utöpia and internationally renowned artist Tatiana Trouvé contributed a limited-edition print of her original work, August, supporting Parley’s Global Cleanup Network.
STORYTELLING FOR CHANGE
We dived deeper into the issues that drive the Parley AIR Strategy (Avoid, Intercept, Redesign) through a series of ongoing Parley AIR Guides covering everything from plastics and health to the role of youth activism and how rivers transport plastic waste to the oceans. At the Cannes Lions International Festival, Parley founder Cyrill Gutsch presented our story and called on the creative community to help shape it by joining the movement.
Ahead of COP26, investigative journalist and Parley Collaborator Ian Urbina explained why we need to start thinking about the oceans in a radically different way — to see them not just as a victim of the climate crisis, but a big part of its solution. At the Climate Crisis Film Festival, we shared Rewild Our Seas, a short film made with Sea Change Project and presented by Talisker on our work to support the preservation and protection of sea forests in South Africa.
We logged our 158th weekly State of the Oceans newsletter, launched a Spanish-language Instagram and teamed up with friends from the ocean conservation world and beyond — including Only One, Atmos, Future Earth and the SeeChange Sessions — to share actions and stories across digital platforms and in new spaces and audiences. More to come in 2022, when we celebrate a decade of ocean impact through this ever-evolving organization and movement. Whether you’re new to the cause or have been following and supporting since our early events, we’re glad you’re here and grateful to count you as a part of our story. Let’s change the world, protect the oceans, and create a future we can live in together.
A huge thank you to our global staff, volunteers, partners, collaborators and supporters for powering the Parley movement – #fortheoceans
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