More than 50 organizations and thousands of volunteers will team up to participate in the 2023 Global Ocean Cleanup from June 8-17, 2023. Organized by Oceanic Society in partnership with Sea Turtle Week, the annual campaign aims to clean some of Earth’s most important coastal and ocean habitats. Last year, participants successfully removed 4,598 lbs of trash from critical ocean habitats and engaged millions of people around ocean plastic pollution.
Thanks to generous presenting sponsors—5 SENS, Seiko, and Planet Oat—and our own Expeditions Impact Fund, Oceanic Society is providing $2,000 to each of its seven official partners in Fiji, Kenya, Mexico, the Philippines, Tunisia, Indonesia, and Uruguay. The funds will be used to clean ecologically important yet polluted coastal habitats, document the cleanup efforts, and transform the collected waste into inspiring artwork. In addition, more than 40 other organizations have signed on to join the effort through Sea Turtle Week, bringing the total number of cleanup partners and locations to more than 50.
Each official partner will also create a unique piece of artwork from the waste they collect in order to help further awareness about the global ocean pollution problem. The art will be judged by an international panel of artists, activists, and ocean conservationists as part of a friendly competition, with the chance to earn additional financial support.
Beyond the cleanups, the campaign aims to attract attention to sea turtle conservation issues and encourage people worldwide to engage in fighting ocean plastic pollution from home. The accompanying digital multimedia campaign led by Oceanic Society and Sea Turtle Week will showcase the important work of each project, share the campaign’s collective impact, and encourage people worldwide to take part in the fight against ocean plastic pollution.
Participating Projects and Locations
After a global call for participation, Oceanic Society has selected seven organizations to join the 2023 campaign. Each group has received a grant from Oceanic Society to support their cleanup efforts, and Oceanic Society will lead a cleanup in its hometown of San Francisco, CA on June 17th. The participating organizations will be cleaning coastal areas that include sensitive habitats and threatened marine biodiversity, including coral reefs, mangrove forests, sea turtle nesting beaches and feeding areas, marine mammal habitats, and more.
The official 2023 Global Ocean Cleanup locations and partners are:
- Beqa Lagoon Initiative, Pacific Blue Foundation — Beqa Island, Fiji
- Olive Ridley Project — Diani-Chale Marine Reserve, Kwale, Kenya
- Karumbé — Cerro Verde, La Coronilla, Uruguay
- Parley for the Oceans — Quintana Roo, Mexico
- People and the Sea — Daanbantayan, Cebu, Philippines
- TunSea — Kheireddine Canal, Tunis, Tunisia
- Ranitya Nurlita and Wastehub — East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
In addition, Oceanic Society will lead a community cleanup of Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California, U.S.A., sponsored by Seiko. Each organization will convene at least 20 people to participate in their cleanup, and will collect data on the quantity and types of trash collected. Learn more about the organizations and cleanup locations here.
Art Competition and Judges
Following each cleanup, participating projects will create a piece of artwork using the waste they collect for entry into a friendly art competition. The artworks will be reviewed by a panel of judges that includes renowned artists and ocean conservationists including: Sylvia Earle, Taylor Griffith, Ben J. Hicks, Pamela Longobardi, Courtney Mattison, and Wishulada Panthanuvong.
These expert judges will work together to review and rate the artworks submitted to determine a Winner and Runner-Up, each of which will receive an additional $500 toward their ocean conservation work. Oceanic Society will also host an online vote to determine an Audience Choice winner, which will also receive an additional $500 toward their work.
Campaign and Cleanup Sponsors
The 2023 Global Ocean Cleanup is made possible through the generous support of 5 SENS, Seiko, Planet Oat, our own Expeditions Impact Fund, and private donations.
Support from 5 SENS will go towards the global cleanups and digital campaign and is made as part of their commitment to sustainability. 5 SENS is a vegan, cruelty-free, BIPOC-founded fine fragrance company on a mission to capture your mood in a bottle. Learn more about how 5 SENS is giving back.
Seiko is proudly sponsoring the Global Ocean Cleanup for the second year in a row. Their support will go towards the global cleanups and digital campaign, an educational video series, and the cleanup event in San Francisco. Their support is part of a long-term partnership with Oceanic Society that has included sea turtle conservation efforts and coastal cleanups throughout the U.S. and worldwide. Learn more about the Seiko Prospex Mission and Seiko’s commitment to ocean conservation.
Planet Oat is also supporting the Global Ocean Cleanup for the second consecutive year. Their support will go towards the global cleanups and digital campaign and is part of their Planet Oat Project, the brand’s pledge to support organizations that better the world we live in. Oceanic Society has been receiving support from Planet Oat since 2020—learn more here.
Follow Along and Get Involved
You can be a part of the growing global movement to fight ocean pollution by taking part in this campaign in the following ways:
- Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter
- Join Oceanic Society’s cleanup of Ocean Beach, San Francisco on June 17, 2023
- Lead a cleanup in your community
- Take our 7-Day Fight Plastic Waste Challenge
- Choose one new action for ocean health
Join us, and be part of the growing Oceanic Society!
