Ocean Legacy is a Canadian-based non-profit organization initiated in 2013 with the goal to end the plastic pollution crisis. Ocean Legacy has a proven four-pillar approach called EPIC, which integrates Education, Policy, Infrastructure Development and Clean-up. These pillars are used to co-create innovative solutions which engage the public, media, ENGOs, government agencies, indigenous governanc
e and other businesses globally to achieve plastic-free lands and waters. The OL has developed the first and largest scale Plastic Pollution Emergency Response Facility in Canada that is focused on finding solutions to recycle marine plastic gear and pollution. The Facility has launched Ocean Legacy as an international leader in plastic pollution reduction, collection and processing, showcasing successful methods in stimulating the plastic circular economy across 7 formal depots which have now diverted over 2.7 million pounds of debris that would have otherwise ended up in landfill or re-entered the natural environment. The program also provides a prolific online education academy in three languages and growing, as well as works to improve mitigative plastic pollution policy measures with all levels of government. Currently, the program has removed more then 3 million pounds of plastic pollution from over 2500km of coastline, creating over 1200 meaningful employment opportunities and has catalyzed long-term tools communities need to steward their natural environment. Ocean Legacy has performed and led global plastic pollution field operations for over nine years, becoming one of Canada’s most experienced field teams to collect, remove, sort and recycle materials collected from clean-up efforts and currently works with over 500 entities across an international community.
