Corporate Vision Issue 9 2024 | 7 Through a series of innovative technologies and educational and skills training, Ocean Legacy is turning plastic pollution into products with tangible value whilst simultaneously providing communities with the tools that they need to protect their local environments. All of this can be seen in the organisation’s EPIC (education, policy, infrastructure, and clean-up) programme, which is a robust emergency management system underpinned by an integrated approach that has been specifically designed to tackle the plastic pollution problem holistically. From long-term plastic collection initiatives to a series of preventative policies, Ocean Legacy is further distinguished in this setting as a result of its leveraging of the first and largest PPERF (plastic pollution emergency response facility) in North America. Whilst many organisations may focus solely on either cleanups or advocacy, Ocean Legacy’s multilayered method sees the creation of an encompassing and cohesive strategy that drives demonstrable results. The organisation’s internal culture is too anchored to these aims, and as Ocean Legacy’s Executive Director, Chloe Dubois, explains, “our culture is a reflection of the deep connection that our cofounders [of which Chloe is one] have had with the water and natural environment throughout their lives.” She continues, “this deeply ingrained culture has been a critical factor in our success, as it motivates and unites our team and collaborators in the pursuit of a common goal: to restore and protect our aquatic ecosystems for present and future generations.” Over the past 12 months or so, this objective has brought with it a number of challenges for Ocean Legacy, primarily stemming from the commercialisation of the recycled ocean plastic pellets that the organisation’s PPERF creates, resulting in a marine circular economy structure. Elaborating on this further, Chloe tells us, “this involves developing effective infrastructure capable of manufacturing ocean plastics into high-quality materials, creating a closed-loop system where plastics are continuously repurposed rather than discarded.” Despite the endless benefits of purchasing these recycled plastics, the difficulties lie in stressing this to the customer, who, on the surface, sees no reason to purchase these over problem subsided virgin plastics. Beyond this, the plastics that the team at Ocean Legacy source from the ocean have almost always been degraded by UV exposure, making them weaker due to the breaking down of their bonds. This is where the PPERF comes in, with its equipment proving instrumental in the organisation being able to offer robust, quality plastics at reasonable prices. Following the innovation and sustainability embodied by both Ocean Legay’s team and its PPERF, it has recently undertaken a number of key projects which showcase its unwavering commitment to coastal waste management. From this range, the Ocean Legacy Analysis Laboratory and the Nylon Extrusion Line are perhaps the most impressive. Beginning with the former, this state-of-the-art lab offers eight testing services spanning everything from melt flow to moisture testing, ensuring these plastics are consistently excellent. As for The true consequences of plastic pollution on the world’s aquatic ecosystems and wildlife is devastating. This is why Ocean Legacy, a Canadian non-profit organisation operating out of British Columbia, has been developing and implementing a series of emergency response solutions to this problem since 2013. Recognised as the Best Emergency Response Plastic Pollution Solutions Provider 2024 - Canada, Ocean Legacy’s ultimate aim is to put an end to plastic pollution for good. Making an Impact on Ocean Plastic the latter, nylon has proven a particularly complicated material to repurpose, and since it is often used to make fishing nets and ropes, it is found in abundance during the organisation’s plastic pollution removal and ocean clean-ups. Thanks to this line however, nylon can now easily be converted into the organisation’s gamechanging ocean plastic pellets. Be it the organisation’s EPIC Academy that focuses on delivering comprehensive training and educational resources, or the PPERF that takes plastics at the end of their lifecycles and transforms them so that they do not fall into the trap of becoming plastic pollution, Ocean Legacy is continuing to innovate and adapt, remaining at the cutting edge of ecological restoration in aquatic environments so as to ensure its methodologies are both effective and scalable. In closing, Chloe states, “humans are the only species on this planet to create ‘garbage’. The recirculation of the resources that we extract must become one of the founding principles of how humans move into the future if our species is to survive.” With its Westcoast operation set to be fully deployed over the next few years, as well as its expansion plans on Canada’s East Coast realised, Ocean Legacy remains a trailblazer in marine plastic recycling innovation, making it more than deserving of this acclaim. Contact: Chloe Dubois Company: Ocean Legacy Web Address: https://oceanlegacy.ca/
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