Morinville company promises to clean up oceans, one T-shirt at a time

Living in landlocked Alberta for more than a decade hasn't tamed Brennan Fitzgerald's love of the sea.

The Morinville town councillor, who grew up along the rugged coastline of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, hopes to clean up the world's oceans one T-shirt at a time.

Fitzgerald has launched Sea Change Clothing Co.,  a clothing line that promises to remove three pounds of trash from the world's oceans for every item sold.

"Oceans are so important to every single one of us," Fitzgerald said in an interview with CBC Radio's Edmonton AM. "Here in Alberta, we're a little bit more landlocked, so I think it's sometimes difficult to realize just how oceans impact us. 

"But with every breath we take,  every drop of water we drink, we're intimately connected to the sea. So I think spreading that message and realizing that ocean health has an impact everywhere is very important."

'The biggest impact that we can have'

In order to keep his company's environmental pledge, Brennan plans to organize cleanup events across Canada, and support other agencies working to clean up shorelines around the globe.

After the company launches, their homepage will include a "Pounds Outstanding" and "Pounds Cleaned"  section that will show customers exactly how much trash  the company has cleaned up so far.

"We'll scout out possible locations and work with the local community to plan something," he said.

"I felt like promising the three pounds would really force the brand to be really innovative in how we clean up trash and have the biggest impact that we can have."

After more than a year of planning, Brennan will launch a kickstarter campaign this March to raise the backing he needs to begin full scale manufacturing. He hopes to launch online sales by the end of the year.

Making waves

The clothing line made from environmentally friendly products, such as organic cotton and all natural dyes, will be produced exclusively in Canada, likely in Vancouver and Toronto.

"Were going to be focusing on making sure that everything from our packaging to our products is environmentally friendly. Clothing is one of the biggest contributors to ocean pollution," said Fitzgerald.

"A lot of clothing is made from synthetic fibers and plastics, so when we wash our clothes, all these tiny micro-fibres are shed off our clothes and ultimately end up in waterways.

"It's a serious issue all over the world and we need to be more aware of. So I think it's something that's really resonating with people."