NEFT Vodka's Earth Month Cleanup Fights Ocean Plastic

Thousands of volunteers gathered at Santa Monica Pier this Earth Month for something that sounds simple but matters deeply: picking up trash before it harms the ocean.

Among them was NEFT Vodka, a spirit company that packages its product in recyclable barrels instead of glass bottles. The brand didn't just show up for a photo opportunity at Heal the Bay's annual "Nothin' But Sand Beach Cleanup." They're putting money behind the mission too.

Throughout April, NEFT is donating a portion of proceeds from every cocktail sold at its single-use plastic-free events directly to Heal the Bay. The nonprofit works to protect Southern California's coastline, improve water quality, and fight the plastic pollution choking marine ecosystems.

Santa Monica's beaches see some of the heaviest foot traffic in California, which means they also collect mountains of waste. Every bottle cap, plastic wrapper, and food container removed keeps sea turtles, birds, and fish safer.

Emily Parker, Senior Marine Scientist at Heal the Bay, put it perfectly: "You don't have to be a scientist or a policymaker to make a meaningful impact; you just have to start where you are."

The Ripple Effect

What makes this partnership meaningful is how it connects consumer choices to ocean health. When someone orders a NEFT cocktail at a participating event, they're funding water quality testing, beach restoration, and pollution prevention programs.

The company makes vodka from just two ingredients: alpine spring water and rye. Their barrel packaging weighs less than glass and stays fully recyclable, cutting waste at the source. Now they're expanding that environmental thinking to community action.

"Sustainability for us starts with packaging, but it can't end there," said Jeff Mahony, NEFT's CEO. The company is applying this same approach across all its global markets, proving that alcohol brands can do more than slap a green label on their products.

Heal the Bay's work extends beyond beach cleanups into year-round water quality monitoring, education programs, and policy advocacy. The donations from NEFT's Earth Month campaign will support all of it.

Small choices really do add up when enough people make them together.