Circular Economy Collaboration & Co-Creation Innovation & Technology

Doconomy, Parley Partner to Solve Interconnected Climate, Plastic Crises

The two will work together to quantify the unseen environmental costs of consumption decisions in ways that empower individuals, businesses and governments to align their spending with climate action and solutions — focusing initially on carbon, water and plastic.

Published 3 years ago | About a 4 minute read

Image: Doconomy

Impact tech company Doconomy — which provides banks and their customers with carbon and water footprint calculations for every transaction — and environmental NGO Parley for the Oceans have entered into a long-term partnership to boost solutions to the interconnected climate and plastic crises. The two will work together to quantify the unseen environmental costs of consumption decisions in ways that empower individuals, businesses and governments to align spending with climate action and solutions — focusing initially on carbon, water and plastic.

Meeting the demands of a new generation of consumers seeking authentic, impactful commitments to environmental responsibility, Doconomy and Parley will provide products and technologies from the Doconomy business portfolio that empower individuals to understand and track their carbon, water and now plastic footprints through their purchases; the partners are developing a plastic index tool that illustrates the connections between products and marine plastic pollution, and provides an everyday way to support direct impact through Parley initiatives.

With projects in more than 30 countries to date, Parley programs focus on cleanups and plastic interception, education and communication, material science and eco-innovation to end the fast-growing crisis of marine plastic pollution alongside the intertwined threats of climate change and overfishing. The organization’s approach is led by the three pillars of its Parley AIR Strategy: Avoid, Intercept and Redesign. Together, Doconomy and Parley will integrate this strategy into Doconomy’s product portfolio and empower individuals and corporations to take responsibility for their impact.

With the shared goal of driving a material revolution and creating an economy that works in harmony with ecological ecosystems, the collaboration will focus on harnessing financial formulas and tools that provide a better view into the unseen impacts of consumer spending, empowering individuals to use that knowledge to make more informed purchasing decisions and participating in creative solutions to environmental threats. In addition to offering innovative technology and tools measuring hidden carbon, water and plastic costs, Doconomy and Parley will explore the impact of chemicals, minerals, fabrics and other materials that contribute to the climate crisis and destruction of the oceans and other natural ecosystems.

“Parley for the Oceans and Doconomy are like soulmates joined by a strive for a more resilient tomorrow,” says Doconomy founder and CEO Mathias Wikström. “With the excellent Parley network, our reach will be even greater. To us, collaborations like these are crucial to not only engage and educate more people — but also, to increase the speed of change. Together we can trigger the efficiencies of the financial system to protect the fragilities of the planet’s ecosystem.”

In addition to the current projects, Doconomy and Parley for the Oceans will identify key areas for extended joint collaboration with consumers, businesses and governments, with the core mission of engaging their networks and adopting technologies to educate and empower users through creative pathways to solutions.

“It’s impossible to fight an existential threat you can’t see. We’ve built our economies and societies on faulty systems that allow us to remain detached from the true impacts of everyday choices on the oceans, climate and all life,” says Parley founder and CEO Cyrill Gutsch. “At Parley, we chose to focus on marine plastic pollution because it’s a threat we can all see and relate to — a material problem interconnected with every major environmental threat. Although plastic waste is tangible, the true scale of the problem and our individual role in it remains incomprehensible. With the support of Doconomy, we will empower decision-makers to own their part of the solutions, with the tools and technology to transform a sense of purpose into measurable progress.”

Based on the collaboration and membership model, Doconomy will support the Parley organization and the “Parley Ocean Plastic® Program” which builds on the Parley AIR Strategy to end marine plastic pollution from three angles:

Avoid plastic where possible;
Intercept plastic debris from marine environments;
Redesign materials, methods, mindsets and products.

Parley invented the idea of turning marine plastic debris into premium materials used in non-single-use and disposable plastic items — including running shoes and other sporting gear, through partnerships with adidas and Stella McCartney; and redesigning plastic water bottle solutions, through a partnerships with Brita and Soma. With these “symbols of change,” Parley is working to drive awareness, ease fundraising and establish a vital connection between a product and its users — driving material awareness, as well as transparency.