Florida Brewery to Save Sea Turtles

New Innovations from a Local Florida Brewery Could Save Thousands of Sea Turtles

At GOPure, we know that the consumption of plastic is one of the greatest threats facing the planet; especially our oceans. In a recent post, we documented all how plastic consumption is killing off droves of marine life. Today, over 180 species of marine life have been documented as hazarded by the mass ingesting of plastic waste. This is a true crisis for our oceans.

We know that there is so much work to be done if we want to save our oceans, but we also have a pretty optimistic outlook on the future. Because today, we find ourselves in alliance with so many other sustainable companies, all of whom are fighting just as hard as we are to change the prognosis on our environment for the better. That’s why we wanted to take a moment and highlight an unbelievable company out of Florida who may have just engineered a solution to the plastic crisis that could positively affect the lives of millions of sea turtles.

One of the largest problems facing marine life, especially sea turtles, is the plastic rings from sodas, beer cans, etc. When the cans are discarded, these rings often get disposed into our oceans. We know what happens next…

We’ve all seen the photographs and videos of animals tangled up inside the rings, choking on the loose plastic or warping the shells of baby turtles. Make no mistake; this plastic waste is actively killing our marine life.

However, Saltwater Brewery, a craft beer microbrewery located in Delray Beach, alongside development startup E6PR, has engineered and implemented a solution to the crisis. After years of careful development and research, the partnership has created biodegradable six-pack rings made entirely out of the wheat and barley ribbons extracted from the brewing process.

The idea is simple; instead of doing away with rings, change the way they are made. The makeup of these rings makes the product either completely biodegradable or can serve as a healthy snack for turtles and other marine life.

When asked about the impact of the new development, Peter Agardy, head of Saltwater Brewery explained: “It’s a big investment for a small brewery created by fisherman, surfers, and people that love the sea…we hope to influence the big guys and hopefully inspire them to get on board.”

While development startup E6PR admits that the development, troubleshooting, and manufacturing of the biodegradable six-pack rings was expensive, they hope that costs can come down with implementation from more breweries; both large and small. They are currently testing the rings with more and more craft breweries, and hopefully will be able to soon announce partnerships with more breweries.

At GOpure, stories like the partnership between Saltwater Brewery and E6PR inspire us to keep innovating. It can become so easy to fall into the doom and gloom of the climate change debate and the facts and realities of our current economic condition. But it is imperative that we all look towards what can be done. Science, technology, activism, and environmentalism can make a difference. Saltwater Brewery and E6PR were able to think outside of the box, and the result was a solution that could end up saving the fate of an entire species of marine animals.

Let’s not let their good work go to waste. Join us, keep on innovating and let’s get this planet back on the right track. 

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