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For Corporations

Arctic Free

Arctic Free is Good Business

Arctic Free is Parvati Foundation's certification to guarantee that a product or service has not been sourced, processed, shipped, or sold in any way related to the Arctic Ocean.

 

It validates the commitment of those private sector companies that have pledged a sustainable, transparent, and responsible value chain that has no linkage to commercial or military exploitation of the Arctic Ocean.

 

In doing so Arctic Free provides a transparent choice for the ever-growing collective of consumers that understand choosing products or services that damage the Arctic Ocean are incompatible with a healthy and sustainable future for themselves, their loved ones and all life on the planet.

The Problem As It Stands

Shipping

Arctic shipping is a shortcut to mass extinction

Northern Sea Route shipping has increased 15x in the last decade and is forecast to triple again by 2030. Commercial ships break up the ice, engine noise disrupts marine life and the burning of heavy fuels darkens and accelerates the ice melt. Put simply there is no such thing as environmentally friendly commercial shipping in the Arctic.

Drilling the Arctic seabed is digging our own grave

Russia and Norway are actively encouraging large amounts of new projects, building masses of infrastructure, and offering enticing incentives. Exploration techniques are devastating to the vast whale population, while an oil spill would be a death knell for the entire region. And not one gram of the 148 gigatons of potential CO2 emissions can be released if global climate targets are to be met.

Oil and Gas

Military

An Arctic Ocean battlefield will have the blood of the world on its hands

Military activity in the Arctic Ocean is at its highest since the Cold War. Russia has established four dedicated brigades and NATO countries are responding accordingly. The heat from nuclear-powered submarines speeds up the ice melt, while the impact from weapons testing and sonar is deadly for marine life. The world needs an Arctic sanctuary, not a war zone.

Saving the Arctic Ocean is more important than seeing it

The past season has seen over 100 cruises and 200+ other commercial sightseeing voyages travel within the Arctic Circle. Tourism shipping carries all the same devasting effects as its commercial equivalent while adding the dumping of wastewater to its harmful effects. There is no concept of ecotourism in the Arctic and every pleasure trip taken adds to the pain of billions.

Tourism

Fishing

A sick Arctic Ocean is no place to fish

The increase in worldwide ocean temperatures has pushed more populations of fish into the Arctic as they seek the cooler waters in which to breed and thrive. This has increased the attraction to Arctic fishing, risking the devastation of global fishing stocks. The techniques used, such as bottom trawling, pose a serious threat of triggering releases of large methane deposits or upsetting radioactive material dumped during the cold war.

It's our life support, not a garbage dump

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea allows for dumping within countries' exclusive economic zones along the coasts. Pollution to the Arctic Ocean, from commercial and industrial activities, threatens to damage this vulnerable ecosystem beyond repair. Plastics, waste, and grey water from ships kill marine life and devastate habitats for centuries.

Dumping

Go Arctic Free

We welcome all businesses from small local enterprises to the largest multinationals to show their commitment to good business and a healthy world for all.