Prevented Ocean Plastic™ collects plastic from where it doesn’t belong.

The Prevented Ocean Plastic™ (POP) programme is an award-winning initiative that incentivises the collection of discarded plastic waste from coastal communities most at-risk of ocean plastic pollution. With a focus on full traceability, social equity and impact investment, the programme enables global brands to integrate high-quality recycled plastic into their supply chains while supporting a just transition across the recycling sector.

Launched in 2019 by Bantam Materials UK Ltd., POP partners with local recyclers to establish controlled collection centres in regions lacking any formal waste management. These facilities, governed by the programme’s independently-audited proprietary Standards, ensure both material quality and dignified working conditions.

Prevented Ocean Plastic’s impact is measurable and growing:

• Over 2.5 billion plastic bottles– equivalent to 50,000 tonnes of plastic- have been prevented from entering the ocean since the programme began.
• The programme is backed by respected partners including USAID and Circulate Capital
• Prevented Ocean Plastic material has now been used in features in more than 700 products across 30+ brands and 15 product categories.

Recognised by major institutions, the programme is a three-time Earthshot Prize nominee, a British Plastics Federation Top Innovation of 2023, and a Green World Award winner.

Prevented Ocean Plastic™ also drives academic research through its POP Research Centre and funds pioneering studies, including the University of Georgia’s research into the hydraulic movement of litter, ensuring science remains at the heart of its mission to tackle ocean plastic pollution.