Based on the current global economic scenario, it is crucial for NGOs to be strategic and leverage its projects together with a strong business engagement. What was before seen as two separate worlds, the collaboration between NGOs and the private sector is more and more becoming crucial in order to make things really happen.

As a consulting professional, I was very impressed to see the collaboration of top management consulting firms with projects related to ocean debris and pollution. KPMG Belgium has a project called The Waste Free Oceans, where the company is lending its full cooperation, by providing, among other things, its accounting services free of charge.

Booz Allen, one of the most famous consulting companies in the world, also supports the cause towards healthier oceans. Partnering with the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) the Booz Allen team undertook several comprehensive tasks to assist the organization with a three-year strategic plan that would guide the organization’s future developments.

Bain & Company Australia also got involved with the ocean debris cause and together with The Project AWARE Foundation, they participated in the Dive Against Debris event, collecting key data regarding marine debris.

According to Datamonitor's 2011 Global Consumer Survey, 61% of consumers said that "recycled" - as in the use of recycled materials for product packaging - was either a "very important" or "important" factor when it comes to environmentally friendly packaging. Based on this information, they posted an interesting article regarding the bottle for Method's new 2-in-1 Dish + Hand Soap which if the world's first bottle made from a blend of recovered ocean plastic and post-consumer recycled plastic. To check the full article, click in this link: http://www.datamonitor.com/store/News/methods_new_ocean_plastic_bottle_a_game_changer_in_sustainability?productid=3E72CF61-1FDC-4B58-AC22-1304E2BC97C7

I’m very glad to see all these developments merging strategic intelligence with the protection of the oceans in our planet. Hopefully we will see much more!