Our #WeAreAllies campaign sees us team with industry competitors sharing a commitment to produce only planet-friendly packaging by 2025, while our Zero Waste Pledge will see us produce only packaging designed to be recyclable, reusable or that contains recycled materials by the end of 2021.

For World Oceans Day 2021, we’ve regrouped not just with our allies, but with our long-time Clean to Planet Partners: Planet Patrol in the UK, and Surfrider Foundation in the US, for the first-ever #WeAreAllies Clean Up. The mission? To pick up discarded packaging waste while raising awareness, proliferating education and inspiring positive planet change, not just in our London and Los Angeles bases, but (thanks to the power of our clean-loving social community) the world over, too.

Hackney Wick, London

With Planet Patrol we paddle-boarded London’s canal system, picking up whatever we found floating and from the leafy banks on either side. With the help of colleagues coming down from REN’s London HQ, we picked up a total of 896 pieces of litter, from shoes to face masks, however unsurprisingly – the biggest collection was on plastic drinks bottles. Recording each instance into the Planet Patrol App helps collate our findings, creating a bank of evidence to better lobby manufacturers and government to take action, with a focus on single-use waste.

Santa Monica Beach, Los Angeles

With Surfrider Foundation we shared the same objective from a different location: the shores of the Pacific à la Santa Monica Beach. With a mission of protecting the world’s oceans, waves, and beaches for both the population, and wild and aquatic life, we collected a total of 57.4 pounds of trash from the coastline. Collecting waste along our coasts helps prevent it from entering (or reentering) our oceans where it is inarguably more difficult to gather; in turn helping to prevent it from washing up on shores, entering water systems or endangering animals.

Stay tuned as we’ll be sharing more stories throughout our World Oceans Day series and from our Clean to Planet Partnerships. Find out how you can get involved with either organisation on their sites, and check out our latest campaign and initiatives on our Zero Waste Skincare hub.