BRIAN LINTON HAS ALWAYS BEEN PASSIONATE ABOUT the ocean and its inhabitants. His love of scuba diving and the 30 fish tanks he kept in his bedroom growing up is evidence of this. And four years ago he decided it was time to turn his passions into a business.
In 2006, he began his eco-entrepreneurial journey by starting a company that sold a line of sustainable jewelry that donated a percentage of profits to ocean conservation initiatives. And for a while, it was going quite swimmingly.
But after a few years, Brian couldn’t pinpoint any concrete environmental benefit of his monetary donations. How could he be sure that his company’s money was actually contributing to real and significant ocean conservation efforts? And more importantly, how could he call himself a real supporter of the blue movement without getting his hands dirty?
With those realizations, Brian founded United By Blue in May of 2010. This company would be different. It would not give money away, but instead associate the sale of each product with a concrete environmental action. For every product sold, UBB removes one pound of trash from oceans and waterways through company organized and hosted cleanups.
Not only does the UBB business model enable us to be the catalyst for real conservation efforts, it also allows us to develop a fun, engaging, and community-focused brand. Our cleanups are the bedrock of our company, and allow us to engage with thousands of volunteers and inspire participation in the blue movement.
On the apparel side of things, UBB is inspired by Brian’s own explorations growing up abroad and by that moment of discovering something forgotten. The colors of our products are inspired by weathered buildings in harbor towns, and we like to tell stories of Hidden Gems to introduce people to forgotten beauty around the world.
After all, the Blue Movement is all about rediscovering and restoring one of the greatest Hidden Gems of all: our oceans.
