Banking with Purpose as a Force for Good: Climate First Bank Partners with 4ocean

At Climate First Bank, our mission to prioritize the planet isn’t just a belief, it’s a responsibility we take seriously every day. Earth Month is a prime opportunity to reflect on how our daily choices shape the future of our environment, and more importantly, how intentional partnerships can turn those choices into measurable impact. To learn more about how sustainability is embedded into our mission, take a look at our 2025 Impact Report, which highlights the progress we’ve made thus far toward creating a healthier planet and more equitable future.

This April, in celebration of Earth Month, Climate First Bank was proud to announce a new partnership with 4ocean, a purpose-driven organization dedicated to removing plastic waste from the world’s oceans, rivers, and coastlines.

Climate First Bank’s EVP and Chief Sustainability Officer, Chris Castro, expressed, “We’re proud to be the first bank to join 4ocean’s Pull a Pound program. It’s an easy way for our customers to turn a simple step like opening an account into real, trackable ocean cleanup.”

Founded in 2017 by two surfers who witnessed the overwhelming amount of plastic waste washing ashore during a trip to Bali, Indonesia, 4ocean began as a deeply personal mission. What started with a simple desire to protect the ocean they loved quickly grew into a global movement, as they recognized the scale of the plastic pollution crisis and the need for a long-term, scalable solution.

4oceans CEO and co-founder, Alex Schulze, explained, “4ocean started pretty simply. We were in Bali and saw how much plastic was washing up on the beach. It wasn’t one spot, it was everywhere. That’s when it clicked that this was a much bigger problem than people realize. We didn’t want to just talk about it, so we built a way to fund the cleanup crews that go out and remove trash every day.”

Today, 4ocean is an international ocean cleanup Public Benefit Corporation, operating cleanups across multiple countries. Their full-time captains and crews work in rivers, coastlines, and open ocean environments to intercept plastic pollution before it can damage marine ecosystems. Through an innovative business model that funds cleanup operations through product sales and partnerships, 4ocean has removed over 50 million pounds of trash, while creating fair-wage jobs in communities most impacted by pollution.

As the first bank to become a 4ocean partner, Climate First Bank is helping fund cleanup efforts that will remove at least 12,000 pounds of plastic and trash from oceans and waterways in its first year. We are proud to be a “Pull a Pound” partner, meaning that for every new account opened, we commit to pulling one pound of plastic and trash from the environment. Simply opening a savings account can spark immediate, tangible change. To put that impact into perspective, one pound of plastic is roughly equal to 48 plastic water bottles removed from our waters, equaling over 575,000 plastic bottles removed from the ocean with our 12,000 lb. goal.

Schulze shared, “What I like about this partnership is how direct it is. Something as simple as opening an account now helps fund real cleanup work. That connection matters. It takes an everyday action and ties it to crews out on the water removing trash from the ocean, rivers, and coastlines.”

We’re committed to pulling at least 1,000 pounds of plastic every month, and transparency is the key to holding ourselves accountable. You can follow along and track our cleanup progress through our 4ocean live dashboard, which updates monthly and shows our collective impact in real time.

“We want people to be able to see and track the collective impact they’re creating. Partnering with 4ocean helps make our commitment to accountability real and transparent, one pound at a time,” said Castro.

We’re especially excited to partner with 4ocean as a fellow Certified B Corporation and member of 1% for the Planet, we share a commitment to donating a percentage of sales to vetted environmental nonprofits. Our B Corp certification reflects our collective dedication to continuous improvement, balancing purpose, profit, and people. As the nation’s only FDIC-insured bank that is both a Certified B Corp and a 1% for the Planet member, Climate First Bank is proud to collaborate with organizations that hold themselves to the same high environmental and social standards.

“Being a Certified B Corp and part of 1% for the Planet means you’re actually backing up what you say with real standards. That’s important to us. Working with a partner like Climate First Bank, where that alignment is already there, makes it a lot easier to focus on the work and keep building something that creates real results,” said Schulze.

This partnership is just the beginning. This summer, Climate First Bank will be introducing new debit cards made from recycled plastic, yet another step in reducing waste and making sustainability part of everyday banking. These cards represent our commitment to thoughtful innovation and environmentally responsible choices, without sacrificing convenience or design.

Earth Month reminds us that protecting the planet requires both intention and action. Through our partnership with 4ocean, Climate First Bank is turning sustainability commitments into measurable, transparent impact. Find out more about our partnership with 4ocean on our dedicated landing page here.

Together, one pound at a time, we can make waves for a cleaner, healthier ocean.