O’Neill partners with Parley for the Oceans to raise awareness on ocean destruction

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Oct 16, 2015

O’Neill and Parley for the Oceans on Wednesday announced their partnership to help end ocean plastic and educate consumers to the need for immediate action.
 
The partnership will begin in the Spring 2016 season with high performance eco-threads manufactured by Bionic Yarn that contain plastic collected from the oceans. O’Neill will also support the partnership through grassroots efforts, Team O’Neill athlete activation and ongoing communications with the global surf and snow communities.

“Just as Jack O’Neill created the Sea Odyssey in 1996 with the goal of educating students on the importance of the relationship between the living sea and the environment, we wish to continue to create programs that can bring about real change,” said Willem Haitink, CEO of O’Neill. “This partnership with Parley for the Oceans isn’t just about introducing a new collection, it’s about taking action together to create a shift in how we think about and use plastic materials.”
 
"Our coastlines are under attack from a wide range of threats, and no group is more aware of that reality than the surf community,” said Cyrill Gutsch, Founder of Parley for the Oceans. We need all eyes on the sea, and most importantly, we need solutions. Developing a smarter replacement for existing plastic is the challenge that lies ahead. In the meantime, we know we can immediately reduce unnecessary waste and cut into the production of virgin plastic by replacing it with what's already out there, the plastic we can collect from our coastlines and intercept from the high seas.”

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Designer and creative entrepreneur Cyrill Gutsch founded Parley for the Oceans in 2012 to provide a forum where industry groups and individuals can talk and act together to protect the oceans. O’Neill is a very natural collaborator for Parley for the Oceans since it is the original California surf lifestyle brand. Jack O’Neill founded the company in 1952 with the initial vision of producing functional and innovative board riding. O’Neill is now known as one of the premier surf, snow and lifestyle brands.