OceanHero is a search engine focused on collecting plastics, mostly bottle waste in the oceans.
OceanHero follows the model of a similar search engine, Ecosia, which finances tree planting. It earns revenue like most other search engines, by displaying ads on search results. The revenue generated from ads are then used to finance collecting plastic bottles from oceans located mainly in Southeast Asia. It can also be installed as a Chrome extension. Unlike Ecosia, however, OceanHero is a for-profit company that does not publish or verify their financial report of proof of their impact, but OceanHero does detail their process for converting searches to collected plastic.
OceanHero claims to make change via partnerships with organizations like Plastic Bank, Waste Free Oceans, and Trash Waste Solutions. Their most touted partnership, with Plastic Bank, uses a unique approach where low-income individuals are involved in the process of collecting plastic from local seas. These individuals receive financial support for collecting plastic from the waterways. This model allows them to contribute to the removal of plastic waste while also providing the individuals with a source of income.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)