Helen of Troy’s Hydro Flask is forging a multi-year partnership with Ocean Conservancy whereby the brand known for its insulated stainless steel beverageware will serve as the “Team Ocean Platinum Champion” for the conservation organization’s Project Where We Play initiative.
The brands will co-create programming that unites the sports and entertainment industry to mobilize fans to take action to protect the ocean.
Close to 200 million metric tons of plastic circulate in the ocean, with 11 million metric tons added each year, according to estimates from Ocean Conservancy. “The ocean is our planet’s life-support system. Every other breath taken by an athlete on the field, a singer on the stage, or a fan in the stands comes from the ocean,” said Jenna DiPaolo Colley, chief brand and communications officer at Ocean Conservancy. “Protect Where We Play is on a mission to leverage athletes, artists, teams, events and venues to mobilize millions of fans worldwide in protecting this vital resource and that includes curbing single-use plastics.”
“At Hydro Flask, we hold a foundational value to protect the waters and lands where we recreate,” added Larry Witt, Helen of Troy’s Home & Outdoor division’s president. “Our new relationship with Ocean Conservancy’s Protect Where We Play initiative builds upon our history of community-focused giving and single-use plastic reduction programs, allowing us to have greater global impact in encouraging public action to replace plastic products and preserve our planet for future generations.”
Through the multi-year Protect Where We Play partnership, Hydro Flask and Ocean Conservancy will co-create activations to reduce and remove single-use plastics at stadiums and venues, helping safeguard marine ecosystems, the companies reported.
Initiatives include:
- Protect Where We Play Community Events: From stages to stadiums, interactive programs will engage athletes, artists and fans to take action in reducing and eliminating plastic waste.
- Education and Awareness Campaigns: Digital and on-the-ground outreach efforts will share practical ways for fans to reduce single-use plastics and inspire lasting change.
- National Beach and River Cleanups: Organized in collaboration with Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup program, volunteer-driven events will remove trash and debris from coastlines and waterways to collect data to inform future solutions.
- Impact Measurement: Hydro Flask will tap into Ocean Conservancy’s Clean Swell App and related tools to measure impacts around plastic reduction at activations.
In the first year of partnership, Hydro Flask will activate around two sporting events: the EcoAthletes Collegiate Cup, engaging college athletes and campuses worldwide with spotlights of EcoAthelete champions monthly for the year, and the FIFA World Cup, where the two brands will meet in Miami to host on-site fan activations to underscore the connection between global sport, plastic reduction and ocean health.
