At Trash Hero we have always believed that cooperation is the key to creating long term behavioural change. That’s why we are very excited about our latest collaboration with Sonni Hönscheid, the six-time SUP world champion, MIZU, Starboard and Brands for Good.
All of us share the same goal, as Sonni puts it: “to get societies’ attention and sensitise them to live a more sustainable life.”
Sonni, a talented artist as well as sportsperson, designed a beautiful resuable stainless steel water bottle for MIZU, a company founded by a fellow athlete, Olympic snowboarder Jussi Oksanen. Since 2008, MIZU has been dedicated to reducing single use plastics in the outdoor adventure field.
The artwork was based on a painting Sonni created in Maui (pictured above), inspired by the beauty of the ocean and its diverse inhabitants.
[Above: The original promotional material: the bottle is now sold out, but more may be on the way!]
With the support of Starboard, Sonni’s paddle board partner and a long-time sponsor of Trash Hero, and the organisation Brands for Good, who present sustainable products and social projects within the sports industry, the limited edition “Love Your Ocean” bottle was launched at ISPO Munich 2019, with all proceeds from its sale going to support the work of Trash Hero World. And to make the project even more synergistic, MIZU provided free water refills during the trade show for everyone who purchased the bottle.
Starboard’s Albert Font de Rubinat, who is also one of the team running Trash Hero Bangkok, was there in Munich and took part in a panel discussion with Sonni Hönscheid, Tim Pogue (MIZU) and Frank Lohse (Brands for Good), about the importance of sustainability.
The bottle was a hit, and MIZU continued sales on its European website following the event, raising a total of CHF 1,930. The original artwork by Sonni Hönscheid that inspired the design was also auctioned at the ISPO trade fair, fetching CHF 2,105 – all of which has been donated to Trash Hero World, along with CHF 500 from Starboard.
We are very grateful to all concerned: not just for the much needed funds, which will go to our projects in Thailand, but also for the opportunity to collaborate and show the impact it is possible to have by working across traditional divides.
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