Then there is the art itself. Art can communicate in a direct way and and make a very powerful statement, or even become a symbol for a cause. Of course, there is the monetary aspect as well. Donating art to a cause helps raise funds that support the mission and initiatives. The point is we all respond to beauty. Art provides a way to share this beauty in a way that awakens people to the reality of the situation. It creates a societal mirror. Once we understand what plastic is doing to our oceans, to all of us, we start demanding alternatives. The vision of artists and creatives precedes the action for change.

There are a lot of looming threats affecting the fate of our oceans, what are some of the specific issues Parley is focusing on now?

There are many complex issues, and that’s part of the problem. It can be overwhelming. But everything is interconnected. If we can narrow our focus to one issue, solutions for the rest will follow. In the short term, our primary objective is to counter the threats of ocean plastic through collaborative projects and a comprehensive strategy we call A.I.R.: Avoid. Intercept. Redesign.

Plastic as it exists today is a design failure, most likely caused by a lack of imagination. You can never get rid of something that doesn’t biodegrade. You can only displace it. The reality is every piece of plastic ever created is still out there in some form, and what doesn’t get recycled is either burned or buried in a landfill, or washed out to sea.

At this point there is more plastic than plankton in the oceans. Even if we invent a totally new material today, it will take time before a large-scale substitution is viable. Therefore we split our Ocean Plastic Program into two parts. The immediate answer is to build a global cleanup network, which cleans up beaches and removes discarded or lost fishing net from the high seas. The last net we retrieved with our partners Sea Shepherd was approximately 70 km long. The PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) we recover is upcycled in partnership with Bionic Yarn and returned back to the cycle in a closed loop.

In order to recycle the rest, we run an extensive research and development project for material innovation in partnership with leading scientists, including the godfather of Green Chemistry, John Warner of Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry.

With all of the alarming statistics out there, what are some of the positive things you see changing that can perhaps give us hope?

The internet is currently saturated with massive, incomprehensible statistics and even wonder-machine methods for vacuum cleaning the oceans. Thus far, we don’t see any technology that’s going to provide the magic answer, but we do see progress in the awareness these headline-making projects bring to ocean issues. Although the statistics remain inconclusive and difficult to grasp, at least they get people thinking and talking.

We’re a ways off from long-term, large-scale solutions, but we are already seeing major steps forward across all levels, from the reactions of individual supporters on social media, to the data being collected by our cleanup partners and environmental organizations, to the decisions being made and interest we’re receiving from the executive levels of major brands. The Parley movement is gaining strength and momentum, and that gives us hope that we can fix this.

Tell us more about your collaboration with adidas. How did that come about and what are you hoping to accomplish with it?

Our collaboration with adidas is a dream come true several years in the making. They looked at this partnership from all sides and did a comprehensive evaluation of Parley before agreeing to partner up for the next five years. The vision is to work as one team, to have a highly collaborative working relationship where both organizations bring in their ideas, knowledge and network. We are extremely excited about this, and extremely grateful. It takes a lot of courage for a company of this size to commit to our cause and to dive in as they have. And as they dive, they are accompanied by a massive international fan base. This creates incredible potential to bring ocean conservation into a whole new dimension.

One of the most important goals of the partnership is to look at the current usage of virgin plastic and to cut that down as much as possible. That makes a big and immediate difference. We are also working together to create innovative production methods, materials and new product design concepts, which will hopefully inspire other industries to follow suit and establish a new way of collaborative thinking between creators, environmentalists and major brands.

What other types of brands would you like to collaborate with and why?

Everyone has something to bring to the table. Diversity is the key to healthy ecosystems. It’s also the key to any movement dedicated to protecting them.

The best candidates for partnerships are those brands that already cater to the ocean’s biggest fans and advocates — surfers, boaters, explorers. We’re in the process of launching projects with the maritime and surf communities to mobilize collaboration and solutions.

Can you give us some insights on other current projects? How do you hope to see them grow?

One of the biggest obstacles right now is that nobody really has the full picture of what is going on —  where the plastic is located and in exactly what quantities. So the next logical step for us is to deepen scientific understanding of the problem. Under the direction of Roger Payne and Iain Kerr from Ocean Alliance and a collaboration with a charter boat company, we are starting a research program called “Ocean Sentinels.” This initiative aims to turn over 400 charter boats into citizen science research vessels, where sailors contribute their time to run simple tests and recover ocean plastic. This will finally produce a complete and representative stream of big data.

Jacques Cousteau said, “We only protect what we love. And only love what we know.” We’re launching Parley Ocean School to educate and connect the next generation, today’s opinion leaders and top executives with the sea. The goal is to create a new class of insiders and ambassadors for the cause.

And of course, there’s our ongoing Parley Talks series. The follow-up to our UN x Parley “Oceans. Climate. Life.” event will be held in Paris during COP21 in early December. This is a critical year for international climate change negotiations and we want to make sure the oceans, the planet’s largest climate regulator and life support system, remain at the forefront of these conversations.

We’re all very late in the game, but in today’s world things can happen overnight. It’s all about finding the right concept and bringing the right people together to build realistic solutions. There’s still time to turn this thing around.