DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA. — Nature Gnaws, a natural dog chew company, announced Nov. 22 it has partnered with 4ocean to become plastic neutral certified. Through the partnership, Nature Gnaws has committed to helping remove more than 100,000 lbs of plastic from oceans, rivers and coastlines to offset the plastic used to package its dog chew products.

“We feel passionate about 4ocean’s mission and transparent process,” said Steve Mamak, chief executive officer at Nature Gnaws. “We see this as the most effective way to make an impact. What’s also great is that 4ocean is another local business in our neighborhood in South Florida. We all walk our dogs on the same beaches and see the pollution washing up on our shores every day.”

4ocean is a B Corp business working to remove plastic from oceans, rivers and coastlines around the world. The company funds the removal of plastic from the environment through product purchases, and has removed more than 20 million lbs of plastic from waterways to date.

“We are excited to partner with Nature Gnaws, they share our passion for solving the ocean plastics crisis, one pound at a time,” said Alex Schulze, founder of 4ocean. “This initiative to pull thousands of lbs. from the ocean demonstrates a serious commitment to the environment, and we look forward to working together on our shared goals in the coming years.”

Nature Gnaws’ products will now bear the 4ocean plastic neutral certified logo on their packages to highlight the partnership and raise awareness about the initiative.

“Packaging technology is evolving quickly and the real goal here is to stop using plastic completely,” said Avery Bradt, senior strategy and marketing manager at Nature Gnaws. “While there is still a lot of ground to cover between producer and consumer before plastic in packaging becomes a thing of the past, we are committed to transparency in these efforts. We are consistently revisiting responsibility, sustainability, and positive impact efforts such as plastic neutrality with 4ocean. We trust our customers will be happy to support this partnership as we all want the same thing, less plastic and more planet.”

Nature Gnaws was founded in 2016 and offers a range of bully sticks, pig ears and tendons, as well as variety packs and monthly Gnaw Box subscription packages. The company sells its chews on Amazon, Chewy, Petco, Walmart and Costco.

Read more about sustainability efforts in the pet food and treat industry.