The conscious soap maker partnered with Sea Shepherd, an international ocean conservation organization, to protect endangered porpoises in the Baltic Sea.

Jenna Blumenfeld, Freelancer

June 16, 2017

Dr. Bronner’s is renowned for its superior soaps, exemplary sourcing and devil-may-care attitude about getting political to fight for what’s right. Case in point, there's a prominently displayed image on Dr. Bronner's website of CEO David Bronner getting arrested outside the DEA headquarters for planting hemp seeds.

So it’s no surprise that Dr. Bronner’s would be interested in supporting Sea Shepherd, an organization that works to provide sanctuaries for dolphins whose numbers are dwindling due to overfishing. But the way in which the soap brand supported Sea Shepherd is notable: Dr. Bronner’s bought a boat!

Christened the MV Emanuel Bronner (the namesake of the Dr. Bronner’s founder), the soap company donated $50,000 to Sea Sheperd to buy and renovate the vessel. Sea Shepherd will use the boat to shuttle volunteers deep into the Baltic Sea to protect endangered harbor porpoises from dying as bycatch from illegal fishing nets.

“There’s a lot of talk in the world where governments say we have to do something about illegal fishing. There are a lot of treaties, but nobody actually goes out into the ocean and confronts these illegal fishing vessels,” says Alex Cornelissen, CEO of Sea Shepherd Global, in a statement. “We actually physically intervene with the illegal activity. I think the people in Dr. Bronner’s could very well be crew members on our ships because we share the same beliefs about the planet, we share the same beliefs about social responsibility.”

Check out the above video to learn how Dr. Bronner’s got involved with Sea Shepherd, and to see the beautiful MV Emanuel Bronner.

About the Author(s)

Jenna Blumenfeld

Freelancer

Jenna Blumenfeld lives in Boulder, Colorado, where she reports on the natural products industry, sustainable agriculture, and all things plant based. 

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