Our Mission

End plastic pollution by supporting local communities in the circular economy transition.

Our Story

During a typhoon in Hong Kong in 2012, the Chine oil company, Sinopec, lost its shipping container cargo of plastic nurdles, which coated the shoreline in trillions of white plastic pellets. Unlike oil, plastic is deemed non-hazardous, leaving no one accountable for its impact on ecosystems, communities, or health.

This spurred the creation of Plastic Oceans International (POI), with a mission to end plastic pollution through education and community engagement. Starting with the documentary, A Plastic Ocean, POI quickly recognized the power of film and community dialogue not only for awareness, but also as a way to engage stakeholders and create collaborative action.

Today, awareness of plastic pollution is higher than ever, but there is still a lot of confusion about how to take effective action. Ending plastic pollution has never been just about plastic, but instead about rethinking how we produce, consume, and reuse.

That’s why our work today focuses on supporting local partners to conduct effective intersectoral dialogues, spurred by film, that reveal opportunities for collaborative action to support circular economy transitions, inform policy, and create sustainable community-led initiatives.

Our Approach

The Participatory Film-Activism Model developed by Plastic Oceans International is a novel, scalable, and evidence-based approach to engaging stakeholders in circular economy transitions.

We systematically integrate storytelling, dialogue, and impact measurement to support community-driven solutions and inform policy development.

As a practical framework ready for replication, the model offers substantial value to organizations seeking to advance circular economy principles through participatory engagement.

Our Programs

Our film and community programs create dialogues that lead to change.

Our film library and film distribution service.

Global network of grassroot organizations committed to continuously engaging stakeholders.

Global film festival sparking local initiatives and stakeholder engagement.

Our Team

  • Julie Andersen

    CEO & Co-Founder

  • Mark Minneboo

    Director of Advocacy

  • Emilio Beladiez

    Director of Plastic Oceans Europe

  • Anna Hanhuasen

    Community Engagement

  • Pau Hanono

    Communications Manager

  • Cat Hellmann

    Film Impact Manager

Ambassadors

  • Matthew Modine

    Actor & Environmentalist

  • Merijn Tinga

    Plastic Soup Surfer, Biologist, Artist

  • Carlos Vives

    Singer & Actor

  • Louie Schwartzberg

    Filmmaker

  • Denise Lira-Ratinoff

    Interdisciplinary Artist

  • Sarah Ferguson

    Founder, Breathe Conservation

  • Craig Leeson

    Chief Evangelist & Director of A Plastic Ocean

Global Advisors

Malcom Wood

Entrepreneur, Environmental Filmmaker and United Nations Ambassador. Co-Founder of hospitality group Maximal Concepts.

Roman Carel

Founder and CEO of Athena Advisors.

Craig Leeson

Founder of Leeson Media International and Ocean Vista Films. Chairman of 1 Shot Hong Kong Film Festival. Asia correspondent for Seven Network and an international Correspondent for Al Jazeera Media Network.

Keyur Patel

Chairman and Managing Director, Fuse Capital.

William Pfeiffer

Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, Globalgate. Global Advisor to WTA, and Senior Advisor to Lionsgate Entertainment.

Schuyler (Sky) M. Moore

A partner in the corporate entertainment department of Greenberg Glusker LLP, practicing entertainment, corporate, and tax law.