Print exclusive: Anja Rubik’s ocean odyssey

Parley founder Cyrill Gutsch, whom Rubik met at a Parley x Nasa JPL conference in 2016, is the creative strategist at the forefront of this movement. His premise for change is based on the fact that at least every second breath we take is generated by the oceans, that humankind cannot survive on a planet with lifeless seas.“Behind every environmental issue lies a faulty economic system. Meat consumption and burning fossil fuel both drive climate change, and plastic harms sea life and damages human health. We are paying a high price. We are paying with our future,” says Gutsch, who thinks that futurists are the new environmentalists.

Central to Parley is its AIR strategy, an acronym which stands for Avoid, Intercept, Redesign. It is an update on the traditional ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ mantra and can be applied to households as well as businesses and governments. In short, Parley is working to intercept plastic waste from remote islands and coastal communities, beaches and the open sea; upcycle it into what they have trademarked as Ocean Plastic®; and with the help of artists, designers and major brands, turn it into symbols of change, while finding effective alternatives to the material itself through collaborating with a diverse network of scientists, inventors, investors and creatives to develop new materials and replace plastic for good. “Change can either happen on a rational level, through facts and evidence, or quickly, in your heart,” says Gutsch. “That’s the beauty of fashion and art. They can create a process of change without the need for too many words.”

Back at the shoot, Rubik saunters out in nothing but a pair of voluminous metallic-gold trousers looking for all the world like a beautiful astronaut. Knee-deep in the turquoise water, tanned arms crossed over her bare chest, she tosses her blonde bob a little, lowers her chin and raises her eyes to the camera. The sun, now soft and pink, bounces off the fabric, creating glints of light that mimic the sea plankton, which comes alive at night in a magical display.

In person, Rubik is at odds with the ultra-groomed, hard-bodied, androgyne that we see in editorial work and campaigns. If anything, the 35-year-old looks like a lanky, if rather refined, teenager. She speaks thoughtfully and with a quiet confidence, as befits someone who has become accustomed to debating with politicians and activists whose viewpoint she is seeking to alter. In addition to her collaboration with Parley, Rubik has long been outspoken on the environment. She has campaigned against deforestation in her native Poland, where this year she also launched her #sexedpl campaign (which had more than 10 million views) calling for better sex education in schools. “I love his passion,” Rubik says of Parley founder Cyrill Gutsch. “Protecting the oceans is his life’s motivation and he works on it 24/7. I also love his optimism: that it’s not over yet, that we can affect change.” For his part, Gutsch was impressed with Rubik’s curiosity. “She was so hungry to know. What was interesting was that she wouldn’t come out right away with an opinion or an action plan. She wanted to learn. Then, when she was ready, she came back and was like, ‘OK, let’s do something.’”

The first fully synthetic plastic, a durable material made to last forever, was invented by Leo Baekeland in New York in 1907. Its ubiquity coupled with its imperviousness to water has led to it becoming, along with climate change, one of the two biggest environmental threats to our planet. Terrifying facts swirl around us: 33 percent of plastic is used once and then discarded, says the Plastic Pollution Coalition; Europe and Central Asia alone dump the equivalent of 54 plastic bags worth of microplastics per person per week into the oceans, according to Greenpeace; microplastics, shed by synthetic fabrics after washing, enter our oceans where they are swallowed by fish and other sea-life, ending up in our food. Research by the Plastic Pollution Coalition has also found that exposure to the chemicals leached by plastics is linked to cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption and other ailments. The message is clear: plastic is not healthy – for us or the oceans.

The Maldives is a country of more than 1,000 coral islands – of which only one percent is solid land, with a height of no more than two or three meters above sea level – making it particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change. “The Maldives is the testing ground for our strategy and over the coming years we will roll it out to other Small Island Developing States facing similar challenges,” says Shaahina Ali, a prominent lobbyist for change in the area and director of Parley Maldives. Ali’s irrepressible firecracker spirit is obvious as she speaks about how it’s her job to affect change at ground zero. “Collaboration is the nucleus. Without a countrywide network including the President and different government offices, partners from the private sector and NGOs, we couldn’t have this kind of impact.” Ali is also at the helm of Parley’s efforts to intercept tons and tons of plastic. “We are cleaning up, but also educating local children. They will take care of the blue treasure that defines our country in the future.”

Using funds they had saved or borrowed from friends, he and Stepken immediately transformed their design firm into an environmental organization with the focus on combating marine-plastic pollution – not a prominent cause back then. With their branding experience, they came up with a strategy they felt would lead to optimal success: instead of lobbying governments, they would partner with creatives, media and lifestyle brands. “We decided the artist is the true agent of change; the best catalyst for ideas, the best translator, and also the best connector between different layers in society.”

Celebrated New York-born artist and film director Julian Schnabel was an early supporter – he designed the Parley logo and hosted the first event at his Palazzo Chupi in New York – and they have since worked with art-world heavyweights Doug Aitken, Ed Ruscha and Jenny Holzer. Other collaborators include brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev and its brand Corona, with whom Parley started the 100 Islands Project, protecting remote places from marine litter. To grow these efforts, they have just launched Clean Waves, which engages designers to create products made from upcycled marine-plastic debris, starting with sunglasses. But by far their biggest success has been their work with Adidas, which has committed to boosting eco-innovation and becoming plastic-free by 2024. More than 1m pairs of Parley x Adidas sneakers made with Ocean Plastic® were sold in 2017, with millions more projected to be sold this year.

“There’s nothing more glamorous than saving lives and having a purpose,” says Gutsch. “Purpose is the new luxury.” Rubik agrees: “Brands should be more responsible. When you buy something expensive, you expect it to be made in the most environmentally aware way possible. That kind of transparency is the future. The fashion community can drive the movement – we can create trends.”

Halfway through the shoot, the fashion crew and local Parley teams meet at a long communal breakfast table in the dining area of the Park Hyatt. An upbeat mood pervades, everyone laughing and sharing stories over iced green tea, egg-white omelets and sliced papaya. Positivity and a spirit of collaboration is a key motif of the Parley modus operandi. “While other organizations say, ‘Give us your money and we will solve the issues for you,’ Parley empowers you with ideas, knowledge and tools – so you can help the planet yourself,” says filmmaker Christian Miller, who works as director of Parley Australia.

Afterwards the kids grin with pride at their achievement. Rubik is delighted. “I was showing one of the boys the coral and the fish that was swimming by, which he could see through his mask. He was holding my hand, because he was a little afraid. And then he started pointing the sea life out to me. He was so into it he started to let go of my hand. It was such a beautiful moment, I was really moved.”

“It is mind-boggling,” Sorrenti adds. “That you can live on a tiny little island surrounded by ocean and never instinctively go in. It was amazing to witness how the parents were bringing their kids, taking that leap into the water, into the future, into education.”

The children are also here to take part in a beach cleanup, and together with the fashion crew and Parley collaborators they fill huge sacks, each about two-meters high, with plastic litter. Within 20 minutes, four sacks are full – a stark indicator of the enormity of this mission. Once collected, the waste will be used in one of Parley’s upcycling programs.

After dark, Rubik stands in front of a glorious bonfire on the beach in a rust-colored boho dress, like a goddess sending a message to the heavens. The team gathers around her, silently absorbing the beautiful scene, Sorrenti’s words resonating in our minds. “I spend my whole life searching for beauty, art and photography, trying constantly to move forward. The last days with Parley were a wake-up call. Now, we can start putting our energies and creativity into inspiring people to start making something positive, a change.”

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