5 Shops Saving Our Seas with Merch

The extent of the destruction caused by plastic in our oceans is catastrophic. Turtles mistake bags for jellyfish, fish eat particles instead of plankton, and seals get caught in nets. We need to turn around our bad plastic habits, and we need to do it now. These 5 hero shops have long ago recognized this and dedicated themselves to fighting plastic waste and supporting other regenerative projects. Their Spreadshops offer merchandise to save the seas and make a change by earning money to finance their vital work.

Their Spreadshops are full of ocean hues, and their designs help highlight the issues that are so important to protecting our planet. Get inspired to use your Spreadshop for your own cause!

Marine Mammals of Maine – marine wildlife conservation

Marine Mammals of Maine, or MMoME, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection, rescue, research, and care of marine mammals and sea turtles. They rescue marine wildlife along Maine’s approximately 2,500-mile-long coastline, where thousands of marine mammals and sea turtles become stranded each year. Not only does MMoME provide short-term relief, but – as a federal organization authorized to perform long-term rehabilitation – they provide long-term, sustainable support.

On Facebook and Instagram they use their reach to share their work and educate their followers. In doing so, MMoME aims to motivate responsible stewardship of the marine environment and promote marine conservation.

MMoME is financed almost exclusively by private donations. With its Spreadshop, the non-profit organization generates additional money, 100% of which goes toward their mission. In keeping with the sea, most of their designs feature shades of blue or show their iconic seal motif.

MMoME operates in one of the busiest areas for seal strandings. The blue “Fish Freezer Fundraiser” design, for example, shows a cute seal snacking on a fish. Fun fact: the design is also available on a sustainable coffee mug that avoids producing more plastic.

The “Seaglass Series Sea Turtle” design features small sea glass shards in the shape of a sea turtle. The blue and green glass stones are becoming increasingly rare and make the design stand out.

Biru Biru – an ocean store for marine conservation

Behind Biru Biru are Melissa and Yvonne, two women who have great love for the sea. They have set out to protect what they love by generating funds, offering bracelets, notebooks, necklaces, and much more in their online shop. All proceeds go directly to marine conservation projects supporting coral gardening (the planting of coral seedlings grown in a laboratory), education or NGOs that promote ocean knowledge, and beach clean-ups. On Instagram and Facebook, the two show their sustainable products and the reality in our oceans. They also support other organizations and people who work to protect our oceans.

In their Biru Biru Spreadshop, you can find merch for ocean lovers, travelers, and surfers. All their designs have clear ocean themes and marine-inspired coloring. The minimalistic white tote bag with blue waves and the signature “OCEAN IS CALLING” mantra is both stylish and helps to avoid plastic and paper bags.

With the snapback cap “We belong to the sea”, Yvonne and Melissa express their love for the sea, offer stylish yet practical sun protection, and give people the opportunity to do something for marine conservation. It’s not always easy to know how to get involved, but their Spreadshop gives you a chance to do good and get some nice merch in return.

Defend The Ocean – sustainable merch from Germany

Making the protection of our oceans and marine topical – that’s Defend The Ocean’s goal. Their work is all about motivating people everywhere to spread the word about the importance of environmental and animal protection in our oceans. It is up to all of us to make a clear statement against the use of plastic and against the pollution of our oceans.

The merch in the Defend The Ocean Spreadshop is perfect to achieve just that. All products are printed on products by Stanley/Stella and EarthPositive, meaning they are produced under the highest environmental and social standards. Many of the designs are dedicated to a marine animal. The “Defend the Whale” design, for example, focuses on the plight of the whale. Simply sketched in blue, it shows the different whale species and comes out particularly well on white shirts.

The seahorse also has its own design. The accompanying slogan “Small actions, big impact” encourages everyone to do their part.

Madagascar Volunteer – an experience in paradise

As the name suggests, Madagascar Volunteer offer volunteer programs in Madagascar. The aim is to protect the environment, promote research and conservation projects, and educate the local people. The paradise-like landscape there unfortunately doesn’t mean that the marine animals are in less need of protection: on the contrary, the turtles are especially vulnerable.

You can take a look at the projects on Instagram and YouTube or directly support the work at Madagascar Volunteer Spreadshop.

Their simple design “DO IT FOR A CAUSE NOT FOR APPLAUSE” says it all: it’s about the cause, the environment, the animals, and oceans – and not about drawing attention to yourself. The red mug expresses this idea particularly strongly.

The white shirt with the “Volunteer in Paradise” lettering is perfect for all volunteers, and it also offers a great way to make others aware of their opportunity to help in Paradise.

Ocean Conservation Namibia – seals and marine wildlife

The original goal of Naude and Katja Dreyer, founder of Ocean Conservation Namibia, was to help entangled seals and other marine animals along the Namibian coast. From there, Ocean Conservation Namibia – or OCN – has grown to include outreach and education around plastic pollution in the oceans. Their purpose is to motivate people around the world to reflect on their own behavior for a better and more sustainable future. OCN is self-sufficient and receives no government support. All their actions and initiatives are financed by private donations from all over the world, and their merchandise. On Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook you’ll find many insights into their work.

The OCN-Spreadshop is super important in further helping marine animals – because OCN needs money for their rescue and education actions. In the Shop, supporters can find simple merch with the OCN logo, like the snapback cap.

The “Smiling Seal” design shows a cute seal, referencing OCN’s core efforts. This adorable design is available for even the smallest conservationists among us on baby bodysuits.

Need money for your project? Want to make people aware of an issue and help our oceans? Then a free Spreadshop is just the thing for you. Start with your logo or create a few individual designs in ocean colors – and you’re ready to go.

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