You’ve heard of “sustainable practices” and know it has to do with helping the environment … but do you know how?
Committing to sustainability means prioritizing the reduction of pollution, waste, and damage to nature with every business decision that’s made. It means using materials that are organic or recycled, eliminating the use of excess water and energy, and minimizing garbage.
When a company is producing large amounts of product, every little change can make a big difference when it comes to saving and preserving our natural resources.
Here at Akoya swimwear, we strive to make an impact — or rather, make less of a negative impact on our society and world [1] . We do this in a few different ways, from designing a line of curve-enhancing suits for all shapes and sizes, to carefully planning our manufacturing processes so they lessen our carbon footprint, particularly in the realm of water pollution. After all, our work and lives revolve around the ocean, and we’d like to do our part to preserve it as best as we can.
If you live somewhere where you’ve never seen heaps of garbage washing up with the tide, consider yourself lucky. An estimated 14 billion pounds of trash are dumped into the ocean each year according to Seasteweards [2] , with overwhelming heaps of trash affecting wildlife, interfering with jobs, and decreasing the overall quality of life for locals
Thanks to increased awareness of this escalating issue, Earth-friendly organizations and businesses are working to do their part in preventing and removing the pollution that’s choking our planet’s oceans.
Based on a sustainable business model, 4Ocean sell bracelets and use the profits to pay the fisherman to “catch” trash by the pound, instead of fish. According to their site, since its inception, the innovative company has operated out of 26 countries and cleaned up over half a million pounds of trash.
But this company is far from the only business whose mission is to preserve our seas and everything in them. Vancouver provides a home base for multiple companies and initiatives who are working to reduce the waste in our waters, including Ocean Wise, the Surfrider Foundation, branches of the World Wildlife Foundation and the Great Canadian Shore Cleanup.
Akoya Swimwear is heartfelt about restoring coral that has been destroyed by climate change, disease, destructive fishing processes, pollution, and more.
Why should you care? According to Mote: “In general, reefs cover less than 1 percent of the ocean floor but support about 25 percent of marine life.”
Delicious seafood, gorgeous tourism destinations, successful fishing economies, and the survival of awe-inspiring marine life can all be credited to the habitat created by the coral reefs. If these were decimated, some of the ocean’s most valued treasures would disappear.
In order to replenish the aquatic ecosystem, conservationists have turned to coral farming. This is a practice in which coral is grown in captivity in a safe environment and at an expedited rate. Once matured, they are re-planted in the wild where they’ll grow and thrive, along with the underwater wildlife that they support.
At Akoya, we stand behind these efforts and also work toward eliminating ocean-damaging waste within our company. With your help, we can support businesses that help protect the environment, and together, we can make a difference.
The idea of coral farming is gaining momentum, allowing our coral reefs to begin to prosper. For more information on this amazing initiative, check out these great organizations:
Secore International [http://www.secore.org/site/home.html], the Coral Restoration Foundation [https://www.coralrestoration.org], Coral Vita [http://www.coralvita.com], and The Kids Should See This [https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/16521915127].