Our Charities & Corporate Social Responsibility
At Octo Marine, care for our environment is at the heart of our practice. Not only do we do this by adhering to ISO 14001 environmental standards to control and minimise our activity’s impact on the environment, but we also try to make our mark on the war against plastic in the oceans with our “Think Outside The Bottle” campaign and our own reusable water bottles, and by supporting charities with the same objective.
As our pledge to reduce the environmental impact of our activities, Octo Marine is offsetting the carbon emissions from our business travel.
To this effect, we are delighted to support he Nouakchott Wind Power project in Mauritania, a great project located on the West Coast of Africa: https://yachtcarbonoffset.com/projects/mauritania-wind-power/
Here are a few of our chosen charities, amongst a few others which we hold close to our heart:
Blue Marine Foundation
This foundation exists to fix the largest solvable problem on the planet – the crisis in our oceans. They have helped protect over 4 million square kilometers of ocean so far, with over 21 project locations all over the world. Their key interventions include securing marine protected areas, developing models of sustainable fishing and tackling unsustainable fishing, restoring marine habitats, and connecting people with the sea.
SNSM
The SNSM, also known locally as the Antibes Lifeboat, is an association whose principal mission is to save lives at sea. The financing of this association rests essentially on public donations.
Stichting Eck Roosen
We are delighted to announce our support for a new charity Stichting Eck Roosen, based in Holland. The aim of this charity is to raise € 30,000 for the genetic analysis of young patients with pancreatic cancer (PAN-NGS).
Water Revolution Foundation
The mission of the Water Revolution Foundation is to drive sustainability in the superyacht industry through collaboration and innovation, leading the way towards neutralising its ecological footprint and preserving the world’s precious oceans.
Becoming a member of the Water Revolution Foundation was the next logical step in Octo Marine’s aim and commitment towards a more sustainable practice, where possible, in yachting. As an industry we need to work together to achieve a more sustainable route, and each service provider has their part to play.
Cogs4Cancer
This charity was founded in 2013 when Adrian Long from the yachting company InterNett, was diagnosed with cancer. In 2013 a group of like-minded bike riders came together to form the charity, inspired by Adrian’s love of cycling. Since then, several endurance races have taken place all over Europe, raising over 1 million euros so far. Ashleigh West, our MD, completed the ride in 2017, helping to raise money for this cause, and joins the riders every year with a support van. Octo Marine is also a corporate sponsor.
Clear Ocean Pact
This is a non-profit initiative on a mission to change the mindsets and behaviours of people within the superyacht industry for the good of our oceans. They have set up the PACT – 5 common goals aligning the industry’s efforts to remove its dependency on single-use plastics and eliminate the microplastic pollution that enters our oceans as a direct result of a superyacht’s daily operations. The PACT is free to use, voluntary, non-accredited, and designed to support you every step of the way.
Sea Eye
Sea-Eye e. V. is a not for profit and civil sea rescue organization that was founded in Germany in 2015. The founders could no longer stand by and watch people dying in the southern Mediterranean sea without taking action. With their rescue vessels ALAN KURDI and SEA-EYE 4 they search for people in distress at sea along the deadliest exodus route in the world. Over the last five years, the association has been involved in the rescue of over 15.000 lives. Every day they fight against the loss of human lives at sea.