Ocean Conservation & Sustainability SpongeBob Initiative Launches

SpongeBob SquarePants: Operation Sea Change, a new global ocean conservation and sustainability initiative from Paramount Consumer Products and Nickelodeon, has launched.

Through partnerships with several non-profit organizations, the initiative aims to help remove and divert 5 million pounds of ocean plastic over the next four years by funding cleanup projects. In addition, Paramount Consumer Products will work with current SpongeBob SquarePants products partners to drive more sustainable practices and reduce single-use plastic.

The initiative’s efforts have been funded through grants from the SpongeBob SquarePants: Operation Sea Change Fund at Tides Foundation.

The non-profit partners at launch include Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, dedicated to cleaning Baltimore’s waterways; Coral Restoration Foundation, founded in response to the widespread loss of the dominant coral species in Florida’s Coral Reef; Plastic Oceans International, which operates on the four pillars of education, activism, advocacy and science; Surfers Against Sewage, founded by Cornish surfers in order to protect the ocean; and WORK, which supports waste collectors who recycle plastic.

Consumer products partners that will launch products in 2022 and early 2023 are AKUA, which creates nutritious products from regenerative ocean farming; Conscious Step, which designs and sells sustainably made socks, sweatshirts and candles that benefit non-profits around the world; Munro Footwear Shoes, which sells shoes for boys and girls and will launch a SpongeBob collection that uses reclaimed leather and recycled packaging; Seaesta Surf, a sustainable beachwear brand; and Waterlust, a purpose-driven apparel company that will launch a line featuring recycled fabrics made from post-consumer bottles.

In 2023, the initiative will expand to include new partnerships and products, additional short-form content that will help educate fans on the ocean plastic crisis and on-the-ground cleanups and activations that will allow fans to get involved.

“Since its debut almost 25 years ago, SpongeBob SquarePants has become globally beloved for its contagious optimism and irreverent humor, but at its core, the series has always had an intrinsic connection to the sea, leading us to launch SpongeBob SquarePants: Operation Sea Change to help protect the home of the very creatures that inspired Bikini Bottom,” said Veronica Hart, executive VP of global franchise planning at Paramount Consumer Products. “With this initiative, not only are we funding change but reinventing how we do business by creating a connected global effort around sustainability, while also being afforded the opportunity to honor the legacy of the incomparable Stephen Hillenburg, marine biologist and SpongeBob SquarePants creator, who was so deeply committed to preserving our oceans and marine life.”