Our story
Our founder, Thomas van Thiel, has been a passionate sailor and his entire life. In 2014 he fulfilled a lifelong dream: crossing the ”The Pond” (Atlantic Ocean) on a sailing ship. When the crew was ten days out, with another ten ahead before they would reach land again, Thomas saw a plastic bottle floating by. This hit him hard; something man-made, that far from civilization. The confrontation was an eye-opener and from that moment he became aware of the fact that plastic pollution can be found anywhere on this planet. His beloved oceans were sick and he wanted to do something about it: in the beginning of 2016 his foundation ”By the Ocean we Unite” was born.
Our vision
Our vision is a world where no plastic ends up in nature anymore. Where people experience our ocean in the most beautiful way without littering her. We can do this if we join forces and make an effort.