- VeChain has partnered with 4Ocean to clean up the oceans, combining the network’s blockchain incentives with the environmental company’s cleanup operations.
- The partnership proves that crypto can be used for good to make a real difference in the real world, says founder Sunny Lu.
VeChain has become the network of sustainability, and this year, it earned a new partner in 4Ocean to expand its footprint across the US and beyond. Founder Sunny Lu recently sat down with 4Ocean CEO Alex Schulze to discuss the partnership and what it has achieved this year.
VeChain partnered with 4Ocean in April, as CNF reported. The two were joined by the UFC Foundation, led by Dana White, in a cleanup exercise in Miami. The project showcased Cleanify dApp, built on the VeBetter ecosystem and powered by VeChain, which was used to document the exercise and reward the participants.
VeChain was attracted to 4Ocean by the company’s deep-seated conviction that small efforts matter in ridding the world’s oceans of plastic, Lu revealed.
“You guys have that kind of influential power to get everyone, including the big guy [UFC President] Dana White, to really do the cleanup,” Lu says.
2026 is the year we see blockchain make a real difference in the world.
Learn how VeChain, in partnership with forward-facing companies like @4ocean, are already leading the way. pic.twitter.com/eCYCclrpjc
— VeChain (@vechainofficial) December 22, 2025
Over 400 million pounds of plastic waste enter the oceans every year, with over 5 trillion pieces of plastic debris overall across all oceans. This presents one of the most significant threats to marine life. This makes VeChain’s efforts in marine cleanup one of the network’s most impactful in the long run.
The biggest effect that VeChain’s blockchain sustainability tools have introduced is recognizing and rewarding individual effort, says Lu. While most people want to get involved in creating a more sustainable world, they believe their efforts have little consequence for the overall goal. However, with the incentive-driven VeBetter ecosystem, even the tiniest efforts are rewarded, motivating users to continue contributing.
Schulze stated:
These individual actions can add up and can have a massive impact together.
VeChain Makes a “Real Difference in the Real World”
The partnership with 4Ocean was a perfect match as VeChain handled the ‘technology angle’ while the Florida company handled ‘the real problem-solving angle,’ Lu noted. While the users gained B3TR tokens for participating, the platform gained valuable data from the participants.
“The feedback from the users was nutrition for our application, so we can continue to grow,” Lu added.
VeChain’s sustainability push makes it an ideal gateway to onboard new users into crypto, Lu believes. Instead of aping into the latest memecoin for exponential gains (and risk), users can turn to crypto to make a real difference.
He concluded:
I believe a usecase like 4Ocean and us together is the best entry point for users. You are not in a crypto sector that you can’t understand; that’s something you can use on a daily basis. VeBetter DAO’s ecosystem is not built for techies, it’s for everyone.
VET trades at $0.01068, gaining 3% in the past day as trading volume surged over 50%. However, it’s still trading -16% for the month, in line with a broader market downturn as investors dumped risk-on assets and trading volume dipped, as CNF reported.
