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It would have been unthinkable six months ago to be looking ahead to 2022 to more COVID isolation, inflation, logistical nightmares, and lack of environmental progress, yet another year of business paralysis, profiteering and despair. Some see another lost year, we see opportunity.
Vaccines and the natural progression of the virus will deliver an eventual solution to the pandemic. At Okeanos, we foresee a new exciting cocktail of opportunities, remote working tools and an amazing pool of educated, passionate, young professionals around the world ready to make a difference to our planet.
Despite the challenges, 2021 was truly a remarkable year for Okeanos. We added new joint ventures, a new innovation center and got our ISO 9001 certification. We also added production in five more countries. We became a more sophisticated organization, with specialized teams in Quality, Global Legislation, LCA, Sustainability, Logistics and added sales teams on all continents.
Our secret weapon? Our people, of course. We almost doubled the size again of our team this year, with diverse, educated, specialized stars that work together seamlessly in every time zone, and continent as one team, each bringing their own local perspective. I am proud of our passion, curiosity and thirst for knowledge. However, the thing that I’m most proud of is that the majority of our Okeanos team is comprised of women. Maybe that is truly our secret weapon.
While is easy to be pessimistic about the results of the Climate Conference in Glasglow, we are focused on the promise of this year in Egypt (COP27), and the potential contributions of the Okeanos team. It is truly a year full of promise, with enormous projects looming in each region bringing new challenges, new facilities, but also new solutions.
For Okeanos, 2022 will not be a lost year, it will be the year of Egypt, Brazil and Mexico, and our year of Asia. It will be the year we will further reduce the world’s use of plastic and CO2 by millions of tons.
Thanks to you, our supporters, clients, colleagues, and friends, we are well on our way to making real waves of change in the world. I am incredibly grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity and wish you a fruitful and exciting 2022!
– Florencio Cuétara, CEO
Great! But what exactly does that mean?
Well, ISO is the International Organization for Standardization, an independent, non-governmental, international organization that develops standards to ensure the quality, safety, and efficiency of products, services, and systems. Adhering to ISO standards ensures that Okeanos is working at its most efficient, and that our customers are satisfied. After completing a rigorous audit process, we are excited to announce that ISO has certified Okeanos!
Okeanos is committed not only to developing, producing, and distributing products of the highest quality standards that meet all legal requirements, but also to supporting customers in their implementation of our technology. Each relevant level of the organization is passionately committed to ensuring that all products, processes, procedures and facilities meet exacting quality standards.
To learn more about Okeanos’ commitment to quality, click here.
Did you know that by scanning the QR Code on a package Made From Stone, you can see the impact of this specific product on the environment?
This incredible, patent pending Life Cycle Analysis tool, accessible by scanning the QR code on the customer’s favorite product, displays the carbon footprint and water savings generated by that individual as a result of using packaging Made From Stone based on their location. These savings are calculated by comparing the known footprint of traditional packaging with that of made from stone packaging. The accompanying map illustrates the journey from the stone quarry to the moment the consumers open the packaging.
Now customers can be a part of the sustainability process, and feel confident that their buying decisions are making a real impact on their environment!
Click here or scan the QR code to experience the magic!
Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s (EMF) Global Commitment is a pledge signed by nearly 100 of the world’s largest companies including Nestlé SA, PepsiCo, Unilever and Coca Cola, to reduce their use of plastics and re-think packaging. The organization publishes an annual status update, with results self-reported by each of the signatories. This year, there’s finally a little good news!
The report concluded that “after decades of growth, virgin plastics use appears to have peaked [for those] brands and retailers and is set to fall faster by 2025,” sign which EMF and the United Nations Environment Program says is a sign of “clear progress.”
We’re heading in the right direction, but brands are not the only decision-makers who will foster real change. The report also calls for governments to pass a global plastics treaty at the next UN Assembly meeting in February, a call that has been echoed by more than 100 countries and 80 large companies.
Okeanos is a member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Community.
To read the report in full, click here.
Meet Estefania, our Partnership Development Associate. While simultaneously pursuing a Master’s Degree in Diplomatic Relations, Estefi works with our partnership team to introduce Okeanos to new markets around the world. Fluent in four languages, and with a plethora of Foreign Affairs experience already under her belt, read on to see what motivates Estefi.
Tell us about your childhood. Did you spend time by the ocean?
I grew up in Barcelona and since I was very little, have spent my summer vacations at the beach. In Spain we have a beautiful and diverse coastline, and places like the Costa Brava or the Balearic Islands bring back amazing summer memories. Growing up in the Mediterranean coast has completely shaped my lifestyle and personality, and I couldn’t be happier about it!
You’re currently pursuing a degree in International Diplomacy. What do you see the role of our global leaders being in the fight against climate change?
International leaders have the responsibility to build the foundations upon which countries cooperate towards fighting climate change, and to create the right tools for countries to do so. Such foundations and tools come in the form of international agreements and organizations which set out different objectives and means to protect the environment for future generations. The planet cannot protect itself from the harm humans are causing, thus global leaders have to guide countries and people towards making more sustainably minded decisions and continue showing how the lack of real commitment is a path which we cannot afford to follow.
How has working for an environmentally focused company impacted the choices you make in your daily life?
Working at Okeanos has opened my eyes and has helped me understand the real impact the plastic industry has upon the environment. Especially when doing research and understanding the magnitude of the problem, you inevitably start analyzing your daily actions and think about what side of the balance you are contributing to. I have come to realize there are always more sustainable options, and if we want some things to change, we have to start by changing our habits.
Here at Okeanos, you work on our Partnerships team providing insight into new markets. What’s the most surprising fact you’ve come across during your research?
One of the most surprising facts I’ve found is that more than 90% of the plastic waste coming from rivers and their surroundings, are transported by just ten rivers! Eight of them are in Asia and two in Africa.
If you could pick a body of water anywhere in the world to spend time near, where would it be?
The Mediterranean! As I said before, it is not just a sea, it’s a lifestyle!
What new skill or hobby did you pick up during quarantine?
During quarantine I started making my own jewelry! It is something I love because you make things you get to keep forever.
Now that the world is beginning to re-open, what is the thing you’re most looking forward to?
Well, I can say that coming to Miami was one of the things I was most looking forward to! I’m glad I had the opportunity to do so now that the pandemic is giving us a hard time again!
In this section of Set In Stone, we like to highlight the surprising, unique, and unusual phenomena and creatures that make our Okeanos worth preserving.
Meet the Barreleye Fish.
Only spotted 9 times despite more than 5,600 dives in the fish’s habitat, scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium finally caught sight of this bizarre creature with one of their remotely operated vehicles (ROV). The fish, which was seen in one of the deepest canyons on the pacific coast, has a clear fluid-filled shield which encases it’s head, protecting the eyes which can point straight up or forward, and glow bright green in the darkness. Lurking from Baja, California to the Berin Sea, Barreleye Fish have been spotted at depths of 2,600 ft (800 m) where the ocean plunges into complete darkness.
In the Spring of 2022, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a leading source of marine-research located in California, will open a new exhibition called “Into the Deep: Exploring Our Undiscovered Ocean,” highlighting rare deep-sea creatures!
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