The Ocean Cleanup is a Dutch nonprofit environmental engineering organisation founded in 2013 by then-19-year-old Boyan Slat in the Netherlands. Headquartered in Rotterdam, the organisation develops large-scale passive and active systems to remove plastic pollution from oceans and rivers. Its ocean cleanup systems include System 001 (2018), System 002 "Jenifer" (2021), and System 03 (2023, a 2,250m barrier deployed November 2023); its river Interceptor systems have been deployed across Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Thailand, Guatemala, and Cambodia. As of January 2026, The Ocean Cleanup has removed more than 50 million kilograms of plastic from oceans and rivers. The organisation entered the consumer product space in October 2020 with a limited-edition sunglasses collection made from certified Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) ocean plastic - designed by Yves Béhar (fuseproject), manufactured by Safilo Group, 21,000 pairs at €200 each, sold out by early 2022. It is this product collaboration that connects The Ocean Cleanup to the eyewear and fashion supply chain. YAML parent_company "safilo" is incorrect - Safilo manufactured the sunglasses as a product partner; Safilo is not The Ocean Cleanup's parent organisation; The Ocean Cleanup is an independent nonprofit; YAML preserved as found. YAML location "Italy" is incorrect - The Ocean Cleanup is headquartered in the Netherlands (Rotterdam/Delft); YAML preserved as found. YAML company_type "Brand" is incorrect - The Ocean Cleanup is a nonprofit engineering organisation (Stichting). YAML market_categories "Menswear" is incorrect. YAML youtube is a specific video URL, not a channel URL. YAML returns_url is a news article about the GPGP operation, not a returns page; YAML preserved as found.

The Ocean Cleanup's design philosophy (as applied to its sole consumer product) prioritised documented material integrity and industrial design credibility: Yves Béhar's fuseproject was engaged to bring high-quality product design to the sunglasses, and DNV-GL certification was secured for the ocean plastic material. The organisation's visual identity is scientific and mission-driven rather than commercial fashion; its brand language is environmental engineering.

The Ocean Cleanup. Founded 2013 by Boyan Slat (Dutch-Croatian). Legal form: Stichting (Dutch nonprofit foundation). HQ: Rotterdam, Netherlands. Website: theoceancleanup.com. Instagram: @theoceancleanup. Facebook: TheOceanCleanup. TikTok: @theoceancleanup. LinkedIn: the-ocean-cleanup. About, careers, sustainability (dashboard), press, contact URLs documented in YAML (theoceancleanup.com). YAML youtube is a specific video URL (not a channel); YAML returns_url is a news update article (scrape artefact). 11 logo candidates: 1 jsonld-logo score-95 (brand trademark meta image), 3 img-logo score-70 (partner logos: Kia, Dutch Government, Deloitte - not The Ocean Cleanup's own logos), 1 link-icon score-50 (SVG favicon), 1 img-logo score-35, 4 link-icon score-30, 1 meta-image score-5.

Primary output: engineering systems (non-consumer). Consumer product (singular, documented): The Ocean Cleanup sunglasses (October 2020) - 21,000 pairs; GPGP-certified plastic material; designer Yves Béhar (fuseproject); manufacturer Safilo Group; retail price €200; sold out by early 2022. The sunglasses represent a complete circular economy product: ocean plastic extracted by The Ocean Cleanup's systems, certified by DNV-GL, designed by an internationally recognised industrial designer, manufactured by a major European eyewear group, and sold directly at premium price point. No subsequent consumer product lines documented.

YAML parent_company "safilo" is incorrect - Safilo Group manufactured the 2020 sunglasses as a product partner; Safilo has no ownership relationship with The Ocean Cleanup; YAML preserved as found. YAML location "Italy" is incorrect - The Ocean Cleanup is headquartered in the Netherlands; YAML preserved as found. The sunglasses were sold directly via The Ocean Cleanup's website at €200/pair (21,000 units; sold out early 2022). No ongoing retail, licensing, or wholesale channel documented. YAML market_categories "Menswear" and YAML company_type "Brand" are both incorrect; YAML preserved as found. YAML youtube points to a specific video URL (not a channel). YAML returns_url points to a news article about the GPGP operation, not a returns/shipping page.

The Ocean Cleanup is not a commercial brand; it operates as a nonprofit engineering organisation funded by donations and corporate partnerships. Key funders include Marc Benioff ($35M, 2018), Joe Gebbia ($25M, 2023), Kia (7-year global partnership, 2022), Deloitte, and the Dutch government. The 2026 Audacious Project grant ($121M) funds the 30 Cities Program for river cleanup. The organisation's market relevance to fashion and product design is limited to its 2020 sunglasses - a design-led consumer object that demonstrated a viable supply chain for ocean plastic certification, manufacture, and retail. The DNV-GL certification system for recovered ocean plastic (launched June 2020) enables broader material supply chains for brands seeking certified ocean plastic.

The Ocean Cleanup's connection to surface pattern design is marginal and product-specific:

• Ocean plastic material supply: The organisation's sunglasses demonstrated that certified ocean-recovered plastic can be processed into consumer products by major brands - creating a precedent and potential material supply chain for accessory and fashion designers seeking documented ocean-plastic provenance
• Yves Béhar collaboration: The sunglasses were designed by fuseproject founder Yves Béhar - an internationally recognised industrial and product designer; the collaboration signalled that product design credibility was central to The Ocean Cleanup's consumer product strategy
• Safilo Group manufacturing: Safilo is one of Europe's major eyewear manufacturers (licensed eyewear for Dior, Fendi, Hugo Boss, Kate Spade, and others); the Safilo-Ocean Cleanup manufacturing relationship is documented and is the reason this page was generated from the Safilo source file
• Branded material narrative: The "Great Pacific Garbage Patch certified" material story became part of the product's brand identity - an example of certified material provenance as design narrative