Parley for the Oceans

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.