The Ocean Plastic Crisis
The ocean covers more than 70% of our planet and provides every other breath of oxygen we take. It supplies billions of people with food, income, and represents over 95% of the world’s biodiversity. We rely on the ocean to regulate our climate and provide food, energy and water; while plankton, kelp forests and coastal mangroves sequester vast amounts of carbon more effectively than land-based forests.
Sadly, 22 million kg of plastic enters our ocean every day. That's one truckload every minute. If nothing changes, by 2050 the plastic in the ocean will outweigh the fish. Plastic pollution is causing huge damage to the marine ecosystem, the food chain and, consequently, to our own health. That’s why we’ve partnered with Ocean Co. to join a movement of individuals and organizations collecting 7 billion ocean-bound plastic bottles by the end of 2025.
MARION Maternity's Commitment to Ocean Conservation
Through our partnership with Ocean Co., MARION has committed to funding the collection of 1 kg of ocean-bound plastic (the equivalent of 100 plastic bottles) for every maternity item purchased. 3 items in an order = 300 plastic bottles equivalent cleaned up. This partnership also supports plastic collectors by paying them a living wage in coastal regions around the world where plastic pollution is worst.
Plastic is collected by locals from some of the worst affected coastal communities such as the Philippines, Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, India and Indonesia, who then exchange the plastic for money or receive digital credit to swap for tuition, tech goods, healthcare and micro-finance. This infrastructure is made possible with help from partners Plastic Bank, Plastics for Change and rePurpose who set up collection sites and ensure transactions to collectors are secure through traceable technology.
MARION's Sustainable Maternity Collection
From our side, MARION prioritizes sourcing natural and recycled fabrics for all their maternity clothes: workwear, dresses, basics, and more. MARION packs all new maternity styles in compostable bags and seeks out manufacturing partners also committed to sustainability. We know that sourcing, manufacturing, and packaging responsibly on the front end reduces the potential environmental impact of each maternity collection we make.
Sources
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:
Unesco:
https://oceanliteracy.unesco.org/plastic-pollution-ocean/
