Collect trash to change the laws!
Let’s trace the waste back to its source
For nearly 30 years, Initiatives Océanes has been a landmark Surfrider project aimed at mobilizing citizens in the fight against water pollution.
Today, Ocean Initiatives are evolving into Retrace!, a project that retains the same values and the same goal: to track waste back to its source.
Retrace! invites anyone who wants to take concrete action to organize or join cleanup efforts on beaches and along waterways. This initiative goes far beyond a simple cleanup: it turns every participant into a contributor to a large-scale collective investigation!
By systematically recording every piece of waste collected, you contribute to a strategic database that allows us to precisely identify sources of pollution and trace them back to those responsible. This information provides strong grounds for our negotiations with policymakers and industry leaders.
With Retrace!, every citizen has the tools to conduct their own field investigations, gaining a better understanding of water pollution and taking collective action to bring about legislative change.
What is Retrace! about?
Retrace! encourages all motivated citizens to organize or join cleanup efforts along the coastline or near waterways.
The waste is then analyzed and quantified by the volunteers before being entered into our database, thereby transforming it into strategic information that helps us understand pollution patterns and pinpoint their sources.
This database serves as a valuable resource to inform our advocacy efforts with policymakers and industry leaders, enabling us to demand concrete action to protect our oceans from the threats posed by marine debris, particularly plastic pollution.
Thanks to Retrace!, every participant becomes a field investigator, helping to improve our understanding of pollution and actively contributing to changes in the law.
Data that drives legislative change
The data collected through the Retrace! program is much more than just numbers: it provides robust scientific evidence to urge policymakers and industry leaders to take action at the highest levels. This reliable data enables our advocacy team to build strong cases and pressure public authorities and private entities to take decisive measures to protect the ocean.
The data collected by Surfrider through the Retrace! project has already contributed to significant legislative progress:
The Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Directive: This European regulation aims to reduce the environmental impact of single-use plastic products by banning certain items designed to be discarded shortly after use (such as plastic cutlery, straws, and cotton swabs) and by restricting the use of others.
The Plastic Bags Directive: This directive was adopted with the aim of limiting the use of single-use plastic bags in order to reduce their presence in the environment, particularly in the ocean.
By participating in Retrace! fundraising campaigns, you are directly helping to support these advocacy efforts that are shaping European regulations.
