Reducing plastic packaging: How partnerships help keep plastic out of the ocean

When Taylor Swift was spotted in The Life of a Showgirl Official Release Party movie wearing a vintage 90’s Monterey Bay Aquarium t-shirt, it sparked plenty of excitement, and we saw an opportunity to turn a viral moment into meaningful impact.

We brought back the beloved design with a purpose. Organized as a fundraiser, each donation of at least $65.13 (a tribute to Taylor’s favorite number) supported the Aquarium's Sea Otter Program and other ocean conservation work. 

We teamed up with Liberty Graphics, an employee-owned cooperative in Maine that originally printed the shirt and also shares our commitment to protect the planet. The shirts are printed with PVC-free, water-based inks on 100 percent cotton, so they won't shed microplastics in the wash.

Together, we also reimagined the unboxing experience. Rather than defaulting to plastic mailers and packaging, we reviewed every option and intentionally chose materials that kept the shipping process plastic-free.

Much more than a pop culture moment, the re-release of the vintage otter shirt was proof that thoughtful partnerships can reduce plastic, support conservation, and inspire people to make choices that are better for the ocean.

Some partnerships just click. Ours with Alvarado Street Brewery started with a simple goal: reduce ocean-bound plastic while shining a spotlight on Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sea Otter Program.

The result is Raft—a beer inspired by sea otters and the kelpy ecosystem they support, and built around a shared commitment to protecting the ocean and building community connections.

Working together, we rethought the packaging from the ground up. Alvadardo Street Brewery swapped plastic four-pack carriers for compostable 6-pack carriers, and when there wasn't a machine to pack them, the entire Alvarado Street Brewery team rolled up their sleeves and hand-packed every single can, embodying the community effort it may initially take to make a change for good.

Then we tackled another common source of plastic: can labels. Instead of plastic sleeves, we partnered with Santa Cruz artist Dylan Hersey to create custom sea otter artwork that was printed directly onto each can. The artwork illustrates the importance of sea otters as keystone species in kelp forests and seagrass meadows, and a QR code on the can allows for direct donations to support our vital rehabilitation efforts.

The result is a beer that uses less plastic, celebrates local creativity, and helps bring more people into the conversation about ocean conservation. 

This plastic-reduction collab will have you buzzing. Captain + Stoker, a local Monterey coffee roastery, is on a mission to fuel both community and Earth-friendly change. When they first partnered with the Aquarium to supply our wholesale coffee, our shared commitment to reducing plastic sparked a wave of innovation.

It started with 5-pound coffee bags that Captain + Stoker originally used to supply bulk coffee. These bags were repurposed into commercial building materials after use. But then we thought bigger, replacing those bags entirely with refillable, reusable buckets. Captain + Stoker also ditched the thin plastic labels on their cold brew cans, printing directly on the cans instead to make them fully recyclable. While updating their production process came at a cost, our partnership made it possible to prioritize these planet-positive changes.

Inspired by their dedication, we challenged ourselves to go even further together by sourcing an entirely new kind of coffee can for our proprietary beans. Captain + Stoker eagerly embraced the challenge, finding innovative, plastic-free packaging designed with both freshness and sustainability in mind.

Our new, plastic-free whole coffee beans are packaged in sleek steel cans with no plastic lining. Each 12-ounce can features a tin one-way valve to lock in freshness and artwork printed directly on the can—making the entire package infinitely reusable, recyclable—and beautiful to boot!

Produced in small batches, this coffee celebrates the richness of the sea, our beloved exhibits, and the community that makes it all possible. Stop by the Aquarium Store to grab a can—or two, or three. One sip, and you'll see why we're hooked.

Building on the success of our collaboration with Alvarado Street Brewery, we set out to partner with another local craft brewery that shares our commitment to protecting the coast.

That vision came to life with Fruition Brewing in neighboring Watsonville, California. We again challenged the status quo by rethinking how beer is packaged. Instead of using the plastic shrink labels that are common in the industry—and often prevent aluminum cans from being recycled—we advocated for printing the artwork directly onto the cans and eliminating plastic from the packaging altogether.

After collaborating with our team, Fruition embraced the idea, and Ebb & Flow, a tropical pale ale, was born.

Inspired by the calm of the shoreline and the rhythms of the sea, Ebb & Flow encourages people to pause, appreciate everything the ocean gives us, and consider the role we each play in protecting it. 

The impact doesn't stop with the packaging. Every can features a QR code that makes it easy to support the Aquarium's ocean conservation work, turning each purchase into another opportunity to give back to the waters that inspire us. 

To fully embrace the rhythms of the sea, sit back, sip slow, and tune into the chill lo-fi beats of Krill Waves radio.