Why is "the year of the sea" crucial for businesses?

In preparation for the next United Nations Ocean Conference, which France will host in Nice in June 2025, the French President has announced the launch of the "Year of the Sea" initiative in France.

The Year of the Sea presents a strategic opportunity for businesses to integrate ocean preservation into their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) approach. With growing environmental challenges and increasing stakeholder expectations, companies must rethink their practices to generate a positive impact on marine ecosystems.

The Year of the Sea: A Global Issue with Local Impact

Objectives and Challenges of "La Mer en Commun"

The Year of the Sea 2025, titled "La Mer en Commun", aims to raise awareness about the importance of marine ecosystems and to encourage concrete actions for their preservation. Covering more than 70% of the Earth's surface, the Ocean plays a crucial role in climate regulation, oxygen production, and the global economy.

This national initiative highlights key environmental challenges, including:

• Biodiversity conservation
• Marine pollution reduction and climate change adaptation

It engages all stakeholders, including businesses, associations, and local authorities, encouraging them to develop certified projects that inspire action for the protection of the Ocean. For companies, this is an opportunity to demonstrate environmental commitment by integrating awareness and marine conservation initiatives into their CSR strategy, while strengthening internal cohesion around shared values.

Key Dates of the Year of the Sea 2025The Year of the Sea is structured around key dates that provide momentum for various initiatives and mobilize different actors. Major events include:

• June 8, 2025 – World Oceans Day, a global opportunity to raise awareness about the critical role of the Ocean.
• June 9-13, 2025 – Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3), co-hosted by France and Costa Rica in Nice, bringing together governments, experts, and industry stakeholders to drive concrete action.
• November 10-21, 2025 – United Nations Climate Conference (COP), where the Ocean is increasingly discussed in climate negotiations.

These milestones offer businesses engagement opportunities through internal communication campaigns, awareness initiatives, and local projects.

Certifying Your CSR Project with the Year of the Sea

Engage Your Business with Act! with Surfrider’s Thematic Programs

Act! with Surfrider’s thematic programs offer structured, year-long initiatives featuring one workshop per quarter to deepen environmental awareness. Each program combines educational content with practical activities, fostering a progressive and lasting commitment from employees. We offer five thematic programs:

• Ocean Program : understanding marine biodiversity, existing threats, and concrete solutions.
• Climate Change Program : exploring the links between climate and the Ocean, analyzing impacts, and identifying business solutions.
• Marine Litter Program : raising awareness of plastic pollution and promoting waste reduction within companies.
• Water Quality Program : addressing water management issues and their environmental and health impacts.
• Coastal Development & Erosion Program – Understanding coastal dynamics and solutions for shoreline preservation.

Companies can tailor their engagement by selecting multiple activities, with progressive discounts based on the number of workshops chosen:

• -10% on the second activity
• -15% on the third activity
• Up to -20% on the fourth activity

This approach optimizes investment while maximizing CSR impact.

 Explore all our thematic programs here

Certify the “Ocean” Program with the “La Mer en Commun” Label

The Ocean Program provides a structured, year-long approach, featuring one workshop per quarter, combining awareness and action:

• Educational module on the Ocean : discovering marine ecosystems and their essential contributions.
• Immersive activity of choice : a quiz, a documentary screening, or an interactive workshop on marine biodiversity.
• The Ocean Fresk : understanding ocean-related challenges and identifying action levers.
• The Solutions Game : defining concrete actions to reduce the company’s environmental footprint.

As part of the Year of the Sea, participating in this program can be certified under the “La Mer en Commun” label.

Why certify your CSR initiative?

• Reinforce your CSR engagement
  Gain recognition for your actions supporting ocean preservation
  Mobilize your employees around meaningful initiatives

Request a quote now to learn more about our thematic programs !

Conclusion

The Year of the Sea is a unique opportunity for businesses to strengthen their CSR approach while contributing to ocean preservation. Act! with Surfrider supports companies in implementing impactful awareness and conservation initiatives.

Discover all our corporate awareness programs here