17 Days, 17 Goals: Goal 14 - Oceans

Goal 14: Life Below Water

- Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources -

Why do we need Goal 14?

• Over 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods
• Globally, the market value of marine and coastal resources and industries is estimeated at $3 trillion per year or about 5% of global GDP
• Oceans absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide produced by humans
• More than 3 billion people depend on the oceans as their primary source of protein
• Marine fisheries directly or indirectly employ over 200 million people
• As much as 40% of the world's oceans are heavily affected by human activities such as pollution, depleted fisheries, and loss of coastal habitats
• The commercial value of US fisheries from coral reefs is over $100 million, with billions more gained from tourism reliant on reef systems

What are some of the targets?

• By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution
• Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification
• By 2020, conserve at least 10% of coastal and marine areas
• By 2030, increase the economic benefits to small island developing states and least developed countreis from the sustainabe use of marine resoruces, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism 
• Increase scientific knowledge in order to improve ocean health and enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of countries
• By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing

Featured: The Coca-Cola Foundation

Access to Clean Water, Water Conservation, and Recycling

Water is one of the key focus areas of the Coca-Cola Foundation's funding. The foundation looks at the whole water cycle, funding programs to improve the sustainability of ocean, surface, sewage, and drinking water. This wholistic approach works towards targets and indicators in Goal 14: Life Under the Sea and also Goal 6: Water and Sanitation. 

Since 1995, the Coca-Cola Foundation has partnered with the Ocean Conservancy to clean up trash from the seas. In addition to granting millions of dollarst, Coca-Cola moblilizes more than 16,000 Coca-Cola system associates, their friends and family in 21 countries each year  to roll up their sleeves and clean up trash along more than 250 miles of coastal areas, highlighting how both employee volunteering and corporate philanthropy work together towards Goal 14. Coca Cola has also funded efforts to restore coral reef habitats around the world. 

See a map of Coca-Cola's water funding

Sustainable Packaging

As a company, Coca-Cola also has a cross-cutting set of commitments to sustainability by 2020. These include a goal to recover 75% of the bottles and cans introduced into developing markets and another to source 25% of its PET plastic bottles from renewable or recycled sources. These efforts are aimed to reduce the pollution of the world's oceans, much of which is plastic waste. 

Coca-Cola's sustainability efforts

The Coca Cola company and foundation both work across goals and targets within the SDGs, and utilizes both the company's core business and corporate philanthropy to help conserve and sustain life below water. 

Please read more about the amazing work of our member: 

The Coca-Cola Foundation

Resources & Information

1. United Nations
2. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administation
3. Convention on Biological Diversity