Employee Engagement and Ocean Conservation: Strengthening Corporate Culture

The Power of Employee Engagement in Sustainability

Sustainability-driven employee engagement programs create tangible benefits for both businesses and their workforce. Research indicates that companies with strong sustainability initiatives experience higher retention rates, improved morale, and greater productivity. A study by Deloitte found that purpose-driven companies have 40% higher employee retention rates. Additionally, 71% of professionals say they would take a pay cut to work for a company aligned with their values, according to a LinkedIn Workplace Culture report.

By engaging employees in ocean conservation initiatives, businesses foster a sense of purpose and connection to their company’s mission. The Healthy Seas Foundation provides companies with opportunities to involve their workforce through education, hands-on cleanups, and ambassador programs. These initiatives make sustainability efforts more tangible, boosting morale and reinforcing corporate social responsibility commitments in a meaningful way.

Three Ways Companies Engage Employees Through Healthy Seas

1. Keeping Employees Informed and Inspired

Companies committed to sustainability keep their employees engaged by sharing updates on their ocean conservation efforts. This is done through social media, internal newsletters, intranets, and presentations during corporate social responsibility (CSR) meetings. Sharing hands-on projects and their impacts makes sustainability goals more real and tangible, creating lasting impressions on employees. Employees often become influencers outside of the company, sharing stories from these projects in a more engaging and concrete way, further amplifying the impact of these initiatives.

Picture: Kristen Sarra

For example, DWS utilizes its strong internal communication channels to update employees on the impact of their partnership with Healthy Seas. Their intranet features mission reports, key performance indicators (KPIs), and updates on marine cleanups. They also align their engagement with global awareness days like World Ocean Day and Plastic Free July, organizing with the Healthy Seas team internal campaigns to highlight the power of individual action in environmental conservation.

A recent discussion with a new partner explored launching global webinars on marine litter, providing employees worldwide with insights into ocean conservation challenges. These webinars would lead into a summer challenge, encouraging employees to collect and document litter in their area, with top participants receiving recognition and prizes.

2. Organizing Employee and Family Clean-Up Days

Companies strengthen employee engagement by creating hands-on experiences that involve not only employees but also their families. These cleanup events, held in nature, along rivers and beaches, connect participants with the cause on a deeper level. While employees engage in surface cleanups, sometimes volunteer divers work underwater simultaneously. Additionally, Healthy Seas has developed a VR simulation activity that allows participants to experience underwater cleanups firsthand.

Using a VR headset, employees and their families can “dive” to recover ghost nets from shipwrecks, simulating the work of real divers. This interactive experience has been used at various events with both adults and kids, making the mission of ocean conservation even more engaging and memorable. These events often include educational sessions on marine litter and sustainability.

Hyundai has successfully organized with Healthy Seas multiple family days across different countries, engaging employees and their families in cleanup efforts while educating them about ocean protection. Similarly, Aquafil hosted family days at each of its Italian plants in 2024, involving 637 children and adults in educational activities designed by the Healthy Seas team.

These initiatives not only reinforce a company’s sustainability values but also create meaningful memories that inspire long-term commitment to conservation.

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3. Creating Employee Ambassadors for Ocean Conservation

Some companies take employee engagement a step further by partnering with Healthy Seas to train employees to become Healthy Seas Ambassadors. These ambassadors, supported by the Foundation, act as sustainability leaders within their companies and local communities, organizing cleanup events, educational sessions in schools, and awareness campaigns.

DWS’s ambassador program is a prime example, involving employees since 2021 from 3 regions (EMEA, APAC and USA) in advocacy for ocean conservation. The program has grown from 8 ambassadors in its first year to 25 ambassadors in 8 countries, organizing 30 cleanups and outreach activities that have engaged numerous people over the years in beach clean ups, schools’ education, talks and awareness raising events.

By empowering employees to take an active role in sustainability, companies create a ripple effect, inspiring local action while reinforcing their environmental commitments.

Extending Sustainability to Clients and Distributors

Beyond employees, some companies extend these engagement opportunities to their clients, dealers, and local distributors. These external stakeholders participate in sustainability initiatives organized by Healthy Seas alongside employees, further amplifying the impact of conservation efforts.

Real Impact: Engaging Thousands Through Education and Cleanups

In 2024 alone, Healthy Seas involved nearly 10,000 children and adults in educational activities through corporate partnerships. The organization hosted 76 educational events and 21 surface cleanups, with 15 of these directly involving employees from partner companies.

Employee Perspectives: The Personal Impact of Ocean Conservation Initiatives

Hearing directly from employees who have participated in these programs highlights their positive impact. Here are two testimonials:

‘I’m very happy and honoured to be a Healthy Seas ambassador, and it was great teamwork today. We did a really good job in just an hour and a half cleaning up these beaches. I’m very happy with what we did, and it was great to see everybody working together as a team.’ – Simon Murfin, long-time Healthy Seas ambassador from DWS.

‘I am proud to collaborate with such a dedicated team at Healthy Seas on many projects I organize or participate in. That makes it easy connecting to people wherever I go promoting our mission, locally in Frankfurt and in harbors across Europe. Receiving very positive feedback makes my task as an ambassador a very rewarding experience for me personally.’ –  Olaf Hills, DWS ambassador based in Germany.

Conclusion: Strengthening Corporate Culture Through Action

Integrating ocean conservation initiatives into employee engagement strategies strengthens corporate culture, enhances brand reputation, and fosters a workplace environment driven by purpose. Through partnerships with the Healthy Seas Foundation, companies can provide their employees with enriching opportunities to make a tangible difference in protecting marine ecosystems.

Interested in engaging your employees in ocean conservation? Learn more about partnering with Healthy Seas and making sustainability an integral part of your corporate culture.