4ocean and U.S. Polo Assn. Reach Milestone to Remove Over 215,000 Pounds of Trash from the World’s Oceans

BOCA RATON, Fla. (June 27, 2024)

U.S. Polo Assn., the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), in partnership with 4ocean, a Florida-based company with a mission to end the ocean plastic crisis, are pleased to announce the successful removal of trash from the world’s oceans through the 4ocean Pound+ Services program. With a pledge of over 200,000 pounds of waste to remove, the two organizations exceeded their goal and removed some 215,000 pounds from rivers, oceans, and coastlines globally.

4ocean and U.S. Polo Assn.’s partnership began in 2021, and now the two organizations have collectively removed over 215,000 pounds worldwide. Through this partnership, 4ocean and U.S. Polo Assn. worked together towards ocean-positive sustainability across 74 clean-up locations, with most of the waste being pulled in Bali, Indonesia, and Guatemala.

“At 4ocean, we are incredibly proud to partner with U.S. Polo Assn. in our mission to create a cleaner ocean,” said Alex Schulze, Co-Founder of 4ocean. “Their dedication and support have been instrumental in helping us remove some 215,000 pounds of plastic from our oceans. Together, we are making a significant impact in the fight against ocean plastic pollution.”

This meaningful partnership is a component of U.S. Polo Assn.’s overarching sustainability initiative USPA Life, which takes a global and holistic approach toward reducing U.S. Polo Assn.’s environmental impact. Through USPA Life, 4ocean partners with U.S. Polo Assn.’s Global Team in Palm Beach County, Florida, for the sport-inspired brand’s annual Beach Cleanup. The USPA Life initiative also offers a global and growing selection of apparel, footwear, and accessories with sustainable attributes for consumers to shop and support.

“We are proud to partner with 4ocean through our USPA Life initiative to tackle the ocean plastic crisis for the third year in a row and to exceed our goal by pulling over 215,000 pounds of trash from the world’s waterways,” said J. Michael Prince, President and CEO of USPA Global, the company that oversees the multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand. “This partnership between 4ocean and U.S. Polo Assn. exemplifies the power of collective action in sustainability efforts and underscores our commitment to protecting our planet for future generations.”

Another element of this partnership included 4ocean being the Official Sustainability Partner of the U.S. Open Polo Championship® this past April, where 4ocean collected plastic and trash from the prestigious and sold-out event at the USPA National Polo Center. The ocean cleanup company also had a series of commercial spots run during the U.S. Open Polo Championship Final broadcast on multiple ESPN platforms, bringing awareness to millions of consumers and sports fans.

To learn more about the partnership, please visit uspoloassnglobal.com/4ocean.

About 4ocean

4ocean is an ocean cleanup company based in Boca Raton, Florida, that’s dedicated to ending the ocean plastic crisis. As a Public Benefit Corporation and Certified B Corp, 4ocean harnesses the power of business to fund a global cleanup operation that recovers millions of pounds of plastic and other debris from the world's oceans, rivers, and coastlines each year.

About U.S. Polo Assn.

U.S. Polo Assn. is the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the governing body for the sport of polo in the United States and one of the country’s oldest sports governing bodies, founded in 1890. With a multi-billion-dollar global footprint and worldwide distribution through more than 1,100 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores as well as thousands of additional points of distribution, U.S. Polo Assn. offers apparel, accessories, and footwear for men, women, and children in more than 190 countries worldwide. A recent, multi-year deal with ESPN to broadcast several of the premier polo championships in the world, sponsored by U.S. Polo Assn., has made the thrilling sport accessible to millions of sports fans globally for the very first time.

U.S. Polo Assn. has consistently been named one of the top global sports licensors alongside the NFL, NBA, and MLB, according to License Global. In addition, the sport-inspired brand is being recognized around the world with awards for global growth, expansion, licensing, and digital growth. Due to its tremendous success as a global brand, particularly in the last five years, U.S. Polo Assn. has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, Modern Retail, and GQ as well as on Yahoo Finance and Bloomberg, among many other noteworthy media sources around the world.

For more information, visit uspoloassnglobal.com and follow @uspoloassn.

For Further Information, Contact:

Stacey Kovalsky – VP, Global PR & Communications

Phone +001.561.790.8036 – E-mail: skovalsky@uspagl.com

Kaela Drake – PR & Communications Specialist

Phone +001.561.461.8596 – E-mail: kdrake@uspagl.com