Interview with Alex Schulze, CEO and Co-founder of 4ocean
Join the Clean Ocean Movement
By Krista Martinelli, Photos courtesy of 4ocean
Recently I was happy to have the opportunity to interview Alex Schulze of the impactful company 4ocean. Just 32 years old, Schulze is a visionary type of individual, making a difference in the gigantic task of cleaning up our oceans. He has a lot of energy and gives very solid, confident answers. You can tell he’s on a mission and he’s extremely passionate about that mission.
AW: How did you get the idea to start 4ocean?
I was on a surfing trip in Bali with my friend Andrew Cooper and we saw a crazy amount of pollution in the water. We started 4ocean in January of 2017.
AW: Tell us about your background.
I grew up on the West coast of Florida on Marco Island. I was a licensed captain at a young age. I was always fishing, diving and surfing. I went to FAU and got my degree in entrepreneurship. Cleaning the ocean is something I was passionate about. Today we have locations in Boca Raton, Guatemala and Bali.
AW: Tell us about the products you sell, taking 5 pounds of trash out of the ocean for each item sold.
It’s mainly our 4ocean bracelet. It’s made with recycled water bottles. It uses post-consumer recycled glass beads. The bracelets are unisex, waterproof and handcrafted by local artisans on the island of Bali.
AW: What is your process for removing plastics and other trash from the ocean?
Our full-time captains and crews take vessels out every day. It’s a combination of using nets and hand nets and walking the coast. They then prepare what they’ve collected for recycling. We go from plastic to pellet to thread or use the recycled materials to manufacture new products.
AW: How does this work as a business model? Would you say you’re a movement (that happens to sell stuff)? Or more of a shop that happens to have an eco-conscience?
Our motto is: Ocean first, product second. This has been our core focus ever since we started. We are an ocean clean up company and that is our #1 focus.
AW: How much plastic, would you estimate, is in our oceans? And what does it do to sea creatures potentially?
Billions of pounds of plastic enter the ocean every single year. It’s hard to quantify. Animals and wildlife consume that plastic. Birds, whales, turtles and fish are all ingesting plastic. Humans are taking in a credit card worth of plastic (via the fish they eat) each week – it’s significant.
AW: What are some of your most popular items?
Definitely our 4ocean bracelet. While we offer other items (apparel, reusable cups, reusable shopping bags and more), we’ve stayed honed in on the bracelet.
AW: Tell us about your family. Are they all involved in the 4ocean movement?
My family is from Marco Island. My family has contributed greatly in solidifying my connection to the ocean. They are very supportive of the idea to start this business.
AW: What are the perks that come with the Clean Ocean Club membership?
You get exclusive content and updates via our newsletter. You double your impact, getting twice the amount of pounds of trash pulled out of the ocean. You receive a discount on certain products and receive new products before everyone else.
AW: What’s the biggest challenge we face in cleaning up our oceans? (See his video response below).
AW: How do you feel about plastic water bottles?
Plastic water bottles are unnecessary. Of all the switches in a sustainable life, there are hard ones and easy ones. It’s an easy switch to using reusable water bottles (whereas it might be harder to find bread that doesn’t come in a plastic bag, for example).
