Movie star Jason Momoa may have hung up his Aquaman Trident, but his quest to protect the seven seas is far from over. His latest venture, Boomerang Water Powered Mananaluaims to tackle one of the world's most pressing environmental challenges: plastic waste. Alongside Boomerang Water co-founders US Air Force veteran Jason Dibble and Wall Street financial expert Jerrod Freund, the actor and attorney is bringing star power to sustainable water conservation solutions.

More than just a role

Momoa's connection to the ocean goes deeper than his superhero persona. A proud native Hawaiian, he has a long history of environmental causes, serving as a UNEP spokesperson for life under the initiative of water.

But advocacy alone was not enough to satisfy his passion for her Protecting the planet. In 2019, he took action by founding Nanalua sustainable water company that packages drinking water in recyclable aluminum bottles and operates on a “buy one, get one off” model – removing plastic bottles from the oceans with every purchase. Now powered by Boomerang, Mananalu is relaunching as a B2B on-site bottling system, aiming to provide healthy water for all without single-use waste.

“What Boomerang has built is something I've always dreamed of but never knew would happen,” Momoa said. “Using local water resources in each state? This kind of complicated solution was not available until now.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tr4cwxrcty

Boomerang's circular technology is already reducing waste in hotels, schools and hospitals. Initial installations are underway at the Twin Fin Hotel, Romer House Waikiki, Kaimana Beach Hotel and Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach, helping Hawaii become less dependent on mainland water deliveries.

“Businesses want to make a difference, and the B2B approach allows us to reach wider audiences with fewer touch points,” said Boomerang co-founder Jerrod Freund. “When Mananalu first took the CPG route, it created great awareness, but you need additional tools to create real impact and implement change. Jason's involvement played a huge role in Mananalu's growth,” says Freund. “So we thought, why not apply that same ideology to businesses?”

“In the beginning, it was about eliminating single-use plastic. Now it's about reducing all waste and re-teaching generations,” explains Momoa. He compares the system to the old-fashioned milk model, where full bottles are delivered, and empty ones are left out for reuse. “Boomerang drives up, shows up on your doorstep, collects a cash register and says, 'Thank you so much!' Say hello to your mother for me. ” Modern-day delivery,” the actor shares enthusiastically, calling himself “the Mananalu man.”

Image Credit: Mananalu Powered by Boomerang

I rebel W.with a cause

Before his big break in acting, Momoa was studying to become the world's most muscular marine biologist. Although he admits he wasn't the best student, his passion for the environment has always been evident. “I grew up loving the ocean and caring about the environment,” Momoa says. “But I lived in two very different worlds—Iowa and the west side of Hawaii—and neither place really really prioritized it. But fighting for it was fun. It made me feel like a rebel, and I I'm a rebel.”

Decades later, his celebrity status has given him a platform to turn his lifelong commitment to environmental change into a tangible reality.

“It's really important that I ended up being Aquaman, and now I get to meet incredible scientists and people who can help me make a real difference,” Momoa says.

Dibble shares this sentiment about the series, reflecting on how incredible it was that he and Momoa crossed paths. “It's like, you're working on building this brand, and all of a sudden, the guy who represents Aquaman is sitting next to you,” laughs Dibble. “It's really really wild.”

Boomerang's founders first met Momoa after realizing their sustainable water companies shared a partner in Ball Corp. “We would be in parallel talks with these partners, and at some point they said, 'You guys should probably get together,'” Freund adds. “It made a lot of sense.”

Related: 7 water saving strategies for your business

War zones for conservatism

Dibble first thought of the idea for Boomerang Water in 2003, during his first of three tours with the US Army in Afghanistan. “When you arrive, they hand you a big bottle of water and say, 'You drink with it, you cook with it, you brush your teeth with it,'” the co-founder shared. “Meanwhile, you shower using local water. Every day, airplanes would fly with more bottled water, and I kept thinking, What's going on here?“

Beyond concern, the system created a tremendous amount of plastic waste. And what do they do with all those empty bottles? “We burned them in pits,” Dibble recalls. “I remember thinking, This is the worst idea in the world.“

He could not understand why the army was not using the water available in the country. Not only did flying in bottled water seem pointless, but it also presented a safety hazard.

Dibble went on three more missions, where the problem only got worse. “I kept asking myself, There must be a better way,“He says.” And it's not just the military – you see it everywhere. The prevalence of plastic bottles had to change. “It's been years, but Dibble believes Boomerang water could be the answer.

Although his time as the protector of the seven seas has ended on screen, Jason Momoa's commitment to environmental progress endures. “I'm dead set on banning single-use plastics,” says the actor. “That's a massive goal for me.”

As he confessed to “borrowing” items from Akaman set during his appearance at Jimmy Kimmel Livethe most significant thing Momoa received was not a souvenir – it was the titular hero's mission to protect the ocean.