On this World Ocean Day 2024, Old Surfer and Ocean Connections celebrate a history of innovation and sustainable commitment, aligning our initiatives with business imperatives and environmental protection. Over the years, we have transformed awareness into action, establishing new forms of corporate engagement with sustainability.
Since our founding in 2019, we have been attentive to what each stage demanded and offered, launching messages that resonated widely as a way to raise awareness about marine plastic pollution. Each year, we have expanded our reach and deepened our impact:
In 2019, we launched our first campaign on plastic pollution. In 2020, we deepened the message with ‘We were fish’, a manifesto about our evolutionary connection with the oceans.
In 2021, we introduced innovation with an interactive action that allowed users to experience life from a dolphin’s perspective through social media filters.
In 2022, we expanded our social impact with ‘More than Surf’, an initiative that connected children with autism to the ocean through surfing, demonstrating how this sport can be a bridge to nature.
In 2023, we took a big step in collaboration and leadership with ‘Ocean Connections’, a platform that brought together leaders committed to ocean health, promoting dialogue and joint actions.
This last activation was perhaps one of the most significant, catalyzing new collaborations and business opportunities, such as our partnership in ‘Swish for Change’ with an NBA star to turn recovered fishing nets into new basketball nets for schools and public courts in Miami.
In 2024, our alliance between Old Surfer, from the USA, and Flama Circular, from Europe, marks a milestone in our quest to rethink and redefine the surfing industry globally. With a presence at major international festivals, on the most prominent beaches and competitions, and empowering African coastal communities in need, together we are promoting an innovative approach to surfboard production. We use 100% organic materials such as paulownia wood, which offers substantial advantages in durability and performance compared to traditional boards that, when broken, leave plastics polluting the water. That’s why we also work on recovering them. Through circularity, we give them a second life so they don’t become ocean-polluting waste. This paradigm shift involves rethinking the surfing industry entirely, leveraging all forms of intelligence available globally, including artificial intelligence, which plays a fundamental role in our communication strategy.
The work we do year after year not only positions us as leaders at the forefront of sustainability but also establishes a model for the industry that demonstrates how environmental initiatives can be both effective and strategically advantageous. This World Ocean Day, together with Old Surfer, we are not only riding the wave of artificial intelligence but also proposing a future where sustainability and brands can naturally go hand in hand.
On June 15th, International Surfing Day, we invite you to follow our social media and discover how this story, originating from the coasts of Mozambique, makes sense and transforms an individual and local cause into a global movement.
