5 MIN READ
02-24-2026
50 Million Pounds Removed.
4ocean Partnerships
And We’re Just Getting Started.
On February 20, 2026, something extraordinary happened.
At Spanish River Park in Boca Raton, surrounded by our cleanup crews, partners, supporters, and community members, 4ocean officially surpassed 50 million pounds of plastic and trash removed from the ocean, rivers, and coastlines worldwide
Fifty million pounds.
A number that once felt impossible.
But this milestone isn’t just about a number. It’s about what that number represents.
Watch the Moment.
It Started With Two Surfers in 2017
In 2017, our founders witnessed plastic pollution covering beaches in Bali, Indonesia. What started as frustration turned into a question:
What if business could fund cleanup at scale?
That question became a Public Benefit Corporation.
That corporation became a global movement.
And that movement has now removed over 50 million pounds of plastic from the environment.
Every bracelet sold.
Every partner who committed.
Every donor who believed.
Every cleanup crew member who showed up before sunrise.
Fifty million pounds is the sum of all of it.
What 50 Million Pounds Really Means
It means:
- Thousands of full-time cleanup operations across rivers, coastlines, and open ocean.
- Stable employment for captains and crews in communities impacted by plastic pollution.
- River interception systems stopping plastic before it reaches the sea.
- Millions of customers and supporters turning everyday purchases into measurable impact.
- Hundreds of mission-aligned business partners translating sustainability commitments into real-world action.
It means plastic that will never entangle marine life.
Plastic that will never break down into microplastics.
Plastic that will never return to the ocean.
The Timeline of a Movement
Looking back on how we got here:
2017 — Founded with a simple idea: remove one pound for every product sold.
2019 — Millions of pounds removed and global cleanup crews established.
2022 — Expansion into river interception and upstream prevention.
2024 — Blockchain-backed verification and impact transparency innovation.
2026 — 50 million pounds removed.
What once felt like a bold goal has become a measurable reality.
And we're not slowing down.
From Milestone to Momentum
Reaching 50 million pounds is not the finish line.
It’s proof.
Proof that sustained action works.
Proof that partnerships matter.
Proof that business can be a force for good.
Proof that measurable impact builds trust.
In 2026, we will launch our next era of transparency with an industry-leading Impact Dashboard platform, providing businesses with traceable, verifiable insight into the impact they create.
And our eyes are already set on the next milestone:
100 million pounds removed.
This milestone belongs to our cleanup crews in Indonesia and beyond who show up every day to do the hard, hands-on work. It belongs to our corporate partners who committed to measurable action, to our donors and Foundation supporters who invested in scaling impact, and to our Clean Ocean Club members who turned everyday support into sustained progress. It belongs to every single person who chose to believe that small actions, repeated consistently, compound into massive change. Fifty million pounds was never about us. It’s about what happens when millions of people decide to act together.
See the Impact.
Learn More
To read the official announcement and full press release detailing the 50 million pound milestone:
👉 Learn More: 4ocean’s Global Movement Turns Participation into Historic Ocean Impact