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Parley for the Oceans
Cyrill Gutsch's Parley for the Oceans turns intercepted marine plastic into supply-chain partnerships with global brands.
Parley for the Oceans
Parley for the Oceans was founded in 2012 by Cyrill Gutsch, assembling a network of creatives, scientists, and brands to address marine plastic pollution. Unlike conventional non-profits, the organization operates through a collaborative model that pairs corporate partnerships with direct-action programs such as coastal cleanups and educational initiatives. Its signature partnership with Adidas has produced millions of shoes made from intercepted ocean plastic, while a collaboration with Anheuser-Busch eliminated plastic six-pack rings in favor of Parley-designed alternatives. The organization's deployment strategy centers on trademarked material innovation — Parley Ocean Plastic® — sourced from shoreline interception in remote coastal communities and repurposed into supply chains for consumer goods. Active asset classes include recycled materials, brand licensing, and direct environmental programming across the Americas, Southeast Asia, and island nations. The partnership model generates royalties that fund the group's conservation efforts, with publicly cited collaborations including Corona's plastic-free packaging initiative and a long-term alliance with the Republic of the Maldives. Led by Gutsch from New York, Parley maintains satellite offices in London and Berlin. The organization does not disclose a traditional headcount but operates through a decentralized network of activists, designers, and marine biologists. In 2023, the organization expanded its Parley AIR Strategy — Avoid, Intercept, Redesign — through new public-facing pledges with governments in small island developing states, aiming to create economic incentives for waste collection. The structural differentiator is the cross-subsidization model: corporate licensing fees from consumer goods giants directly fund grassroots ocean cleanups while generating proprietary materials science IP. This positions Parley less as a charity and more as a materials-and-mission hybrid, where environmental remediation is financially engineered into brand supply chains rather than funded through episodic donations.
General information
Firm type
other
Year founded
2012
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Additional offices
London, United Kingdom · Berlin, Germany
Principals
Cyrill Gutsch
Founder & CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How does Parley for the Oceans fund its operations?
Parley primarily funds its conservation programs through corporate partnership and licensing agreements. When a company like Adidas or Corona integrates Parley Ocean Plastic® into its products, the royalty fees generated support the organization's coastal interception and education initiatives. This links commercial revenue directly to environmental remediation work.
What is Parley Ocean Plastic?
Parley Ocean Plastic is a trademarked material created from plastic waste intercepted from shorelines and coastal communities before it enters the ocean. The material is processed and integrated into manufacturing supply chains for consumer goods. The specification was developed through Parley's collaboration with materials scientists and manufacturing partners.
Who are Parley's most significant corporate partners?
Adidas has been the most visible partner, producing over 30 million pairs of shoes using Parley Ocean Plastic since 2015. Other publicly cited partners include Anheuser-Busch, which eliminated plastic six-pack rings; Corona, which committed to plastic-free packaging; and American Express, which collaborated on a credit card made from reclaimed ocean plastic.
Is Parley for the Oceans a non-profit or a for-profit entity?
Parley operates as a hybrid organization with both non-profit and commercial elements. Its environmental foundation and direct-action programs are structured as non-profit work, while the brand collaborations and material licensing agreements generate commercial revenue that sustains the organization. The exact legal structure per jurisdiction has not been publicly detailed.
What is the Parley AIR Strategy?
The AIR Strategy stands for Avoid, Intercept, Redesign. Parley advocates for avoiding single-use plastics where possible, intercepting plastic waste from coastlines before it enters marine ecosystems, and redesigning materials and products to eliminate long-term environmental harm. The framework is used across all of the organization's corporate partnerships and government collaborations.
Where does Parley conduct its coastal intercept programs?
Parley coordinates cleanup and interception programs in island nations and coastal communities across the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, and Latin America. Specific program locations have included the Maldives, Sri Lanka, the Dominican Republic, and Indonesia, where waste collection infrastructure is often limited and ocean-bound plastic leakage is highest.
How is Parley for the Oceans governed?
Founder Cyrill Gutsch leads the organization as CEO from the New York office. Governance details — such as a board of directors or formal oversight body — are not publicly disclosed. The organization maintains a flat, network-based structure that relies on collaborators across creative industries, marine science, and brand management rather than a traditional hierarchical staff.
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