About Us

Plastic Oceans International is a US-based nonprofit organization dedicated to ending plastic pollution and fostering sustainable communities worldwide.

At the heart of our work lies a simple belief: storytelling can spark systemic change.

We harness the power of film to educate, engage, and inspire action. Combining visual storytelling with community-led dialogue, our model scales circular solutions that shift mindsets, change consumer behavior, corporate practices, and influence public policy at every level. Guided by the principle that global change begins with local action, our work is grounded in four core pillars: Education, Activism, Advocacy, and Science.

Two young adults hiking on a sunny beach with palm trees in the background, carrying gear and smiling.

Our Story

During a typhoon in Hong Kong in 2012, our Founder and CEO, Julie Andersen, personally witnessed the tragic spill of trillions of white plastic pellets from the Chinese oil company, Sinopec. As the pellets accumulated and coated the shoreline, Julie waited for authorities or the corporation to take action, but unlike oil, plastic was deemed non-hazardous, leaving no one accountable for its impact on ecosystems, communities, or public health. At the end, it was the local communities and community-led initiatives that led the clean-up efforts.

This resulted in the creation of Plastic Oceans International, with a mission to end plastic pollution through education and community engagement. Starting with the documentary, A Plastic Ocean, POI quickly activated the power of film and community dialogue not only

Today, our work goes beyond clean-ups and focuses on supporting our local network of BlueCommunities to conduct multi-stakeholder dialogues, sparked by film, that reveal opportunities to scale circular solutions, inform policy, and create long-lasting change.

Ending plastic pollution has never been just about the material itself, but instead about rethinking our local and global systems of production and consumption.

Our Approach

Our Participatory Film-Activism Model is a scalable, context-, and evidence-based approach to engage stakeholders in meaningful dialogue and support the progress of circular economy solutions in local communities.

We integrate film, storytelling, and dialogue analysis to support community-driven solutions and informed policy development.

As a practical framework ready for replication, the model offers substantial value to organizations seeking to advance local systemic solutions through participatory engagement.

Flowchart illustrating a six-step process, starting with collecting baseline data, presenting a documentary, capturing participant reactions, gathering stakeholder narratives, identifying patterns in discourse, and providing insights and recommendations.

Our Programs

Our film and community programs create dialogues that lead to change.

A group of five people, including three children, sitting and standing on rocks at the beach, with a cloudy sky overhead.
Black background with white text that says "SEE + POSITIVE CHANGE"

Our film library and film distribution service.

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Group of four people engaged in a discussion around a table with papers, sticky notes, and a map, inside a room with wooden panel walls.
Text reads 'BLUE COMMUNITIES' with 'BLUE' in blue and bold, 'COMMUNITIES' in white and bold

Global network of grassroot organizations committed to continuously engaging stakeholders.

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People seated and watching a video presentation on a large outdoor screen at night, surrounded by trees with orange lighting.
A black and white logo with an illustration of a tree and waves, and the text "Trees & Seas".

Global film festival sparking local initiatives and stakeholder engagement.

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