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Business & Pleasure Co., “B&PCo”, an outdoor furniture and accessories brand renowned for its high quality and vintage aesthetics, has joined California’s Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies program as its newest Ambassador. The Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program is a responsible shipping effort that incentivizes shipping companies to voluntarily reduce their speeds along California’s coast. The top threats to whales globally include vessel strikes and entanglements. This program materially reduces fatal ship strikes to endangered whales, as well as regional greenhouse gas emissions, and air and underwater noise pollution.
On what compelled them to join, Lachlan Leckie, Co-founder, Business & Pleasure Co. says, “As a business born out of love for the ocean, we are excited to be able to partner with Blue Whales and Blue Skies.
“My business partner and I were both raised in beach going families, surfing and sailing on the beautiful east coast of Australia,” Leckie says. “We would often be treated with up close exhibitions (sometimes a little too close) by humpback whales on their migration to and from Moreton bay for breeding season – not to mention a few sharks and a lot of bottlenose dolphin encounters! From there, our business has expanded to the other side of the Pacific and we now enjoy the equally impressive coastline and array of marine diversity found in Southern California.”
Ambassadors are consumer goods, brands, ports, and logistics companies that work with at least one of the program’s enrolled shipping carriers, and help drive increased awareness and engagement around shipping industry’s efforts with the program to reduce fatal ship strike risk as well as marine noise and air pollution.
“Our goals have always been to prioritize sustainable, low-impact products and processes,” Leckie says. “So to learn of the impacts that coastal shipping has on our marine life is a real eye-opener and we are proud to help build awareness and provide recognition to the shipping lines that do their part in protecting these amazing animals.”
Established in 2016, B&PCo is a renowned lifestyle brand of outdoor products that has become a staple in the outdoor consumer lifestyle space across many countries worldwide. Big names including Louis Vuitton, Poosh, and Palm Yachts, and most recently, Swedish model and designer Elsa Hosk have joined B&PCo in collaborations.
B&PCo joins a cohort of forward-thinking companies spanning from agribusiness and consumer goods, to electronics, ports and logistics companies, united by a commitment to amplify responsible shipping practices and reduce supply chain biodiversity impacts. Ambassadors include Sonos, Limoneira, the Port of Hueneme, Nomad Goods, Peak Design, Summit Coffee, Way Basics, Santa Cruz Bicycles, Who Gives a Crap, The Block Logistics, and JAS Worldwide.
By verifying voluntary cooperation down to the ship and specific transit or the company’s entire fleet of ships, calculating the associated environmental benefits, and recognizing program participants, the program helps global shipping companies make operational adjustments to reduce environmental impacts. For the 2024 season, 37 global shipping companies have enrolled. Last year’s season’s top performing shipping lines (85%+ cooperation rates with slow speed requests) included: CMA CGM, CSL Group, D’Amico Tankers DAC, Hapag-Lloyd, Mediterranean Shipping Company, NingBo Ocean Shipping Co, NYK Ro-Ro, Ocean Network Express, Orient Overseas Container Line, OSG Ship Management, Swire Shipping, Yang Ming, and Wallenius Wilhelmsen.
In terms of 2023 season program impact, cooperating shipping companies realized a 58% reduction in the risk of lethal ship strikes to whales, and an average decrease in underwater noise of 5.4 decibels per transit. Since the program launched in 2014, cooperating vessels have slowed down for more than 1,100,000 nautical miles.
Ambassadors receive program performance data and associated environmental benefits of their shipping carriers’ participation; agree to annually distribute letters to all carriers to either relay appreciation for their efforts, or encourage program enrollment and higher cooperation rates; and help amplify the program’s impact and opportunities to implement responsible shipping practices through their communications and social media outlets.
To become an Ambassador, send inquiries to becca@californiamsf.org.
Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies is a vessel speed reduction program for safer whales, cleaner air, and a quieter ocean. It is a collaborative effort by several air pollution control districts, national marine sanctuaries in California, the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and other non-profit organizations.
For more information visit https://www.bluewhalesblueskies.org/