Prevented Ocean Plastic, or POP, is a high-quality, fully certified plastic that is recycled from discarded plastic debris from coastal areas at risk of ocean plastic pollution. This means that plastic bottles are collected from beaches, shorelines and major waterways in an effort to reduce pollution of our waters.
The spread of POPs could really make a big difference, because by the time a plastic bottle gets into the water, it's unfortunately too late. The combination of sunlight and seawater causes plastic to break down, making it largely impossible to recycle. In such cases, water purification is the only option, so the focus shifts from recycling to water purification. POPs tackle the problem at its root, preventing plastic from entering the sea.
How does the Prevent Ocean Plastic programme work in practice? In 4 steps, we explain how plastic bottles thrown away at the beach are transformed into sustainable packaging in our shopping baskets - from collection to recycling.
1. Step 1: Collecting plastic bottles
Plastic bottles are collected by plastic collectors from areas at risk of ocean pollution. Areas at risk include Southeast Asia, South America and the Galapagos Islands, Central America and the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean Sea.
The collected plastic bottles are then taken to local collection centres where they are exchanged for cash. This encourages and supports the bottle collectors' efforts, providing them with a steady income while contributing greatly to the noble cause of recycling.
Step 2: Selection and delivery
When plastic bottles arrive at collection centres, they are carefully sorted. After sorting, the plastic bottles are pressed into bales for convenient transport. These bales are then transported to plastic recycling factories.
Step 3: Washing, disinfection and processing
At the recycling plant, plastic bottles are thoroughly washed and disinfected to remove contamination. After washing, the plastic bottles are processed into flakes or pellets. This is achieved by cutting, shredding and further size reduction methods. The resulting flakes or pellets are used as building blocks to create new plastic products.
This recycling process meets European and North American quality standards, ensuring that the recycled plastic meets safety and performance standards.
Step 4: New life as packaging
The life of recycled plastic can be certified and tracked from its collection along the coast to its sustainable recycled packaging on supermarket shelves.
Knowing the positive impact of POPs on the environment, it is easy to understand why CYCLE , a sustainable cleaning products company committed to protecting our environment, has joined this movement. It shows that we didn't choose POP packaging for our summer limited edition 10X concentrate product for nothing.
By choosing sustainable, recycled packaging, we want to demonstrate our active commitment to recycling and take steps to reduce the demand for virgin plastics. We hope to inspire consumer society and industry alike to make the best possible choices when shopping, moving together towards a more sustainable and greener future.
