Milestone: BRACENET has donated over €250,000!
With BRACENET, you’re making a contribution to ocean conservation. More specifically, a double contribution: With every product, you help put an end to the menace of ghost nets and simultaneously donate towards the protection of the seas and marine life. Thank you for standing with us in the fight for the future of our oceans! We’re thrilled to announce our first major milestone:
To date, we have collectively donated over a quarter of a million Euros – €250,558!
We’re incredibly proud of this figure and all that we have achieved with this money. Whether it’s hundreds of tons of retrieved ghost nets, adopting a humpback whale, or protecting sharks – we’re certainly making a difference in the vast depths of the seas.
How are the donations allocated?
The majority of our donations, so far over €150,000, go to our closest partner organizations, Healthy Seas and Ghost Diving. We have been working together from the get-go, as these two initiatives recover ghost nets from all the world’s oceans and intercept discarded fishing nets from fisheries to prevent them from ending up there in the first place. Our regular donations fund things like boat rentals, diving equipment, hazard training, and education for children.
Additionally, we have been able to donate more than €90,000 to a multitude of different projects that help the seas, marine life, and people as well. Among these are well-known marine and environmental conservation organizations like Sea Shepherd, Shark Allies, and the Norwegian Orca Survey, as well as humanitarian organizations like Leave No One Behind, Doctors Without Borders, and Pink Ribbon.
We aim to show you transparently how the purchase of our products has supported, and continues to support, these projects. Therefore, in this blog, we will introduce you to all our donation projects along with their respective donation amounts. We will regularly update the list, as we continue to collect donations to fight for the green future of our seas and the world. Some transfers will soon follow, for example, to Earth Justice for the Stop Willow Bracenet and ongoing donations to Healthy Seas and Ghost Diving.
Click through the projects to learn more about them!
Donation projects:
Healthy Seas and Ghost Diving have been our primary partners for ghost net recovery since BRACENET was founded. As they collaborate closely, our donations benefit both organizations. These contributions finance, among other things, boat rentals, diving equipment, and safety training for recovery missions, as well as preventive measures.
Healthy Seas tirelessly works to free our oceans from ghost nets. The organization closely collaborates with the dedicated diving teams from Ghost Diving to recover these old nets from the oceans and maintains communication with fisheries to ensure their end-of-life nets never end up in the water in the first place. Following the motto “A Journey from Waste to Wear”, Healthy Seas then passes the nets on to us, allowing us to breathe new life into them.
Ghost Diving is the world’s leading organization for ghost net recovery. This association of over 250 volunteer divers worldwide works closely with Healthy Seas and recovers nets from depths of up to 50 meters from wrecks and reefs. The initiative is active globally and is divided into the following teams: Ghost Diving The Netherlands, Adriatic, Austria, East Med, Egypt, Greece, Hong Kong, Korea, Lake Iseo, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, and USA; since 2021, Ghost Diving Germany has also been diving for ghost nets in the North and Baltic Seas.
Everwave is dedicated to the challenge of freeing oceans and rivers from plastic waste through technological innovations. For instance, the founder, Marcella Hansch, developed a platform that calms currents, allowing plastic pieces to rise to the surface where they can be collected. Through a fundraising campaign with Louisa Dellert and a joint Bracenet, we have raised €1,000 for the project. Our donation contributes to advancing the vital initiatives of Everwave.
The Charles Darwin Foundation is committed to the conservation and protection of the unique biodiversity on and around the Galapagos Islands. Through research and educational work, the foundation makes an indispensable contribution to the protection of these remarkable ecosystems. In 2020, in collaboration with diver and environmental activist Roberto Ochoa, we raised donations for the organization with the Galapagos Bracenet. Similarly, in 2021, we collaborated with Got Bag and our Save The Seas Pack specifically for the protection of wild turtles on the Galapagos Islands.
Doctors Without Borders is an international humanitarian organization that provides medical aid in crisis regions worldwide. Regardless of political or religious conflicts, it offers lifesaving medical care for those who need it most urgently. When the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the world in 2020, we raised donations with the “Sea you soon” – Special Bracenet to support their vital work for the people affected by the virus.
Shark Allies is dedicated to protecting shark populations worldwide. The team works to change the public perception of sharks and highlight their key role in the marine ecosystem, so that they are respected and no longer threatened. With our Shark Edition Bracenets, we have supported Shark Allies in reducing shark products, fighting trophy fishing tournaments, and protecting sharks worldwide from overfishing. With our Bahamas Bracenet, we funded a part of the “Valuing Sharks Alive” project.
The MARE Foundation, based in Poland, is committed to protecting the Baltic Sea. Since 2015, it has been protecting marine ecosystems, advocating for sustainable fishing, and spreading the message of environmental conservation. It particularly stands against the tide of plastic waste and regularly organizes additional salvage missions. In the summer of 2020, it organized a large ghost net cleanup in the Baltic Sea off the Polish coast, in cooperation with local fisheries. From the nets salvaged there, we made the Baltic Sea MARE Foundation Bracenet and thus collected donations for the MARE Foundation.
According to estimates, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish swimming in the oceans. The Ocean Voyages Institute is confronting this dangerous trend: The non-profit organization undertakes large salvage voyages to remove all that plastic from the sea. In 2020, it set a record: with the largest cleanup ever in the middle of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. We received a portion of the salvaged nets and turned them into Bracenets to raise funds for the organization.
Sea Shepherd Germany is a pivotal player in the fight against illegal fishing and the abuse of our marine resources. The organization relies on action campaigns to detect, document, and halt illegal activities at sea and on land. We first supported them in 2018: with a collaborative Bracenet to rescue the porpoises in the Baltic Sea. From nets recovered from their BALTIC SEA CAMPAIGN, we regularly crafted new Bracenets and keychains throughout 2021 and 2022 to raise funds for their crucial mission. You can continually support Sea Shepherd’s efforts with our Sea Shepherd Bracenet.
The Outlaw Ocean Project is a non-profit organization by marine reporter Ian Urbina, which uncovers the true abysses of the oceans through investigative reporting and educational work: crimes on the high seas. Together, with a collaborative Bracenet – also in a bundle with Ian Urbina’s book “Outlaw Ocean” – we raised donations for the project. In doing so, we help tell stories that would otherwise remain untold – and contribute to seeking justice for those exploited on our oceans.
Huckleberry Finn is a project by Nicos Farm e.V., aimed at offering people with disabilities and other challenges positive experiences and therapeutic opportunities on and around water. This vision was realized through the construction of an accessible houseboat, which not only facilitates inclusive encounters but also serves as a venue for readings, seminars, and other events. We were fascinated by the inclusion project from the start and supported its implementation with our “Huckleberry Finn” Bracenet.
Viva con Agua is committed globally to access to clean drinking water. Their work spans from promoting water projects to raising awareness about the vital topic of water and hygiene. Through our partnership with soulbottles, we raise donations and support Viva con Agua in their mission. We are also partners of the International Ocean Film Tour and raise donations for Viva con Agua through collaborative products.
Whale & Dolphin Conservation, or WDC, is the world’s leading non-profit organization dedicated solely to the protection of whales and dolphins. They actively fight against whaling, bycatch, and advocate for the protection of the seas. We developed a Bracenet in collaboration with WDC to support their fight against bycatch and sponsor the humpback whale Salt.
Leave No One Behind advocates for the support and protection of people who had to flee their homeland. The initiative specifically supports organizations that ensure a safe escape for all. In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we launched the Ukraine Charity Bracenet and initially donated 100% of the proceeds, later 5 euros per Bracenet, to Leave No One Behind.
The Ocean Wildlife Project (OWP) as a non-profit association promotes targeted research and nature conservation projects to strengthen marine protected areas. OWP focuses particularly on those projects that generate protection-relevant findings about endangered species. After all, only when we understand the behavior and distribution of marine animals can we protect them with concrete measures. With our sponsorship of the Blue Savannah expedition and our Bahamas Bracenet, we supported OWP’s projects in Bazaruto National Park off the coast of Mozambique and in the Bahamas.
In the Bundesverband Nachhaltige Wirtschaft (“Federal Association for Sustainable Economy”), companies and self-employed individuals stand united for sustainable economy. The association offers members the opportunity to exchange views on social and ecological transformation and drive the sustainable change of the economy. As members, we support association with an annual donation of 600 euros.
Oclean proves that it can be quite simple to make your own contribution to the environment – and that picking up trash can be lots of fun. We’re on board: With lectures and joint cleanup actions in Hamburg! After all, plastic waste is a significant issue not only in the oceans but also on land, and waste often ends up in the seas via rivers. With the Pacific Coral Bracenet for World Cleanup Day, we’ve raised funds to finance additional cleanups and an exhibition of trash curiosities.
Many turtle species travel hundreds to thousands of kilometers through the water. On these long journeys, they are primarily threatened by human-caused hazards, such as ghost nets. Luckily, there’s the Olive Ridley Project (ORP), which protects the turtles! ORP rescues and rehabilitates injured marine turtles, researches threats, looks for solutions, and raises public awareness of the issue. With our Turtle Bracenet, we have raised funds for ORP to support their important work.
Mission Erde (“Mission Earth”) is the passion project of marine biologist, research diver, photographer, and popular German YouTuber Robert Marc Lehmann. The project is testament to his tireless commitment to our Earth, both on land and in the sea. We first collaborated in 2021 when he and his diving team recovered 3 tons of ghost nets from the Baltic Sea off the coast of Fehmarn. With our Bracenets and keychains made from these nets, we collected 10,000 euros in donations for Mission Erde to finance further recovery operations. In 2023, we raised additional funds with the Orca Bracenet and Orca keychain to support the work of the association.
Bye Bye Plastic Sylt is an initiative that sensitizes the locals and visitors of the island of Sylt to a future free of plastic. Its members regularly organize cleanups, during which they also frequently collect stranded nets. They send these to us and we upcycle them into Sylt keychains and Sylt Bracenets to raise funds for this northern German organization.
The non-profit organization Norwegian Orca Survey (NOS) is dedicated to studying the orcas in Norwegian waters. Its research team studies the local orca population to understand their way of life and monitor their health status. They publish their collected knowledge in studies and also make it available to national authorities so that they can better protect and preserve this species. With our first Orca Bracenet, we raised funds to support the Cetacean Stranding Program, which researches stranded marine mammals. By studying these animals, the NOS team can find out why they died and how we can prevent it in the future.
Pink Ribbon is a global symbol of commitment against breast cancer. Early detection is particularly in focus, as it is significant for chances of healing. Hence the slogan of Pink Ribbon Germany: “Breast cancer early detection? Feel it, don’t ignore it!” In February 2023, we took the opportunity with our Cancer Bracenet to support the non-profit campaign of Pink Ribbon Germany.
Ghost nets spare no place. Not even the beautiful islands of Hawaii: In particular, the marine flora and fauna around the largely untouched northwestern islands are threatened. The Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project (PMDP) has made it its mission to protect this area from marine debris. Among other things, the team goes out every year to recover ghost nets. We have upcycled some of their recovered nets into new products and are raising funds for their important work.
