Prevented Ocean Plastics

Since our inception in 2008, Spectra has actively pioneered the use of sustainable materials for the benefit of our customers, from post-consumer recycled solutions to the latest advances in bioplastics.

Prevented Ocean Plastic (POP) is recycled plastic collected from coastal areas at risk from ocean plastic pollution. According to academic definitions, this ocean-bound plastic is at risk of ending up in the ocean if not collected for recycling.

The programme aligns plastic recycling standards across coastlines at risk from ocean plastic pollution. It offers an ongoing supply of high-quality recycled plastic at industry scale whilst supporting local communities at the forefront of ocean plastic waste in at-risk areas, including Southeast Asia, South America, the Galapagos Islands, the Mediterranean, and Central America & Caribbean.

Since its inception in 2019 the POP programme has prevented more than 2.5 million bottles entering the world’s oceans. This equates to a staggering 1,000 tonnes of waste plastic being collected every month, resulting in an average $100,000 per day being sent to support bottle collection and recycling infrastructure in developing communities.

However, the programme’s roots go back farther than that. Its founders have been working in these at risk regions from as early as 2005, recycling more than 10 billion bottles and sending over $250,000,000 to some of the world’s poorest communities.

The programme explicitly identifies areas that do not benefit from established recycling infrastructures and provides a global recycling initiative to help tens of thousands worldwide earn a reliable income, clean their coastlines, and prevent ocean plastic.