Exclusive: This skin-care brand is on a coast-to-coast cleansing mission

The sad truth is that the earth’s oceans are being massively polluted—for starters, there’s a mass of plastic called The Great Pacific Garbage Patch floating between Hawaii and California that’s twice the size of Texas. That’s exactly why beauty brand Ren Clean Skincare is partnering with the Surfrider Foundation to help make the world a bit cleaner as well. To do that, the company has made a commitment for Ren employees, partners, and customers to participate in over 300 Surfrider beach cleanups throughout the US and UK, with others in Australia and Europe to come.

Known for being a grassroots non-profit that’s dedicated to protecting oceans and beaches, Surfrider is a perfect pairing for Ren—a top-selling brand at Sephora whose celebrity fans include Emma Roberts and Margot Robbie. “Ren’s deep-rooted commitment to providing clean products ultimately reflects their value for our planet and people’s well-being,” says Mary Herbranson, Surfrider Foundation’s partnerships manager. “We share passion for clean, healthy environments, and Ren’s support increases our capacity to carry out our mission.”

“I’d like to see the prestige beauty industry step up the fight against waste, starting with packaging.” —Ren Clean Skincare CEO Arnaud Meysselle

Arnaud Meysselle, Ren’s CEO, tells us exclusively: “Through our work with the Surfrider Foundation, we’re committing our resources as a company—financial and human—to help eliminate ocean plastic pollution.”

Ren has also made a commitment to be waste-free by 2021, an idea Meysselle hopes will spread. “I’d like to see the prestige beauty industry step up the fight against waste, starting with packaging,” he says. “Over the last few years we’ve seen some real progress in terms of sourcing, but so much more can be done at the packaging level.” Since being better for the planet is an extension of being better to your skin, this is a first step in that direction.

To help, these are 7 super-easy ways to reduce your plastic use. And this is what you need to know about a plastic-eating fungus (yes, really).