Marine Life & Conservation
More than a ‘smidge’ of litter as eco brand cleans up Sand Bay
Bristol staff see single-use plastic problem first hand as they partner with Marine Conservation Society
The UK’s leading marine charity says it’s delighted that south west eco brand ‘Smidge’ is putting its money where its mouth is by getting staff involved in a beach clean and litter survey to see just how much single-use plastic is impacting our coastline.
Bristol-based ‘Smidge’ has partnered with the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and will be making a donation to the charity from every product sold from its new 100% natural collection made from plant materials, which includes coffee cups, plates, bowls and cutlery.
45 Smidge staff visited Sand Bay, near Weston-super-Mare, on June 25th to take part in a beach clean led by MCS staff. They collected 66kgs of litter, equating to a staggering 1,302 items of rubbish along the 100m of beach surveyed – that’s well above the national average. Unsurprisingly, 76% of the litter picked up was made of plastic/polystyrene, highlighting the importance of brands like Smidge working with alternatives.
MCS works to raise awareness of the many threats that face our seas and the most pressing of these is the proliferation of single-use plastic that is found in the oceans and on beaches. During last year’s MCS-led Great British Beach Clean, 601 pieces of litter were picked up for every 100 metres cleaned by the charity’s volunteer litter pickers.
MCS Beachwatch Officer Lizzie Prior, who led the clean-up, said: “The drizzly weather certainly didn’t dampen the spirits of the Smidge team who were incredibly engaged with the clean itself and with the source to sea story of litter. I hope seeing the situation first hand will help cement the brand’s commitment in continuing to work on an even wider range of multi-use products going forward.”
“The team were really excited to come together and do something new that really fits in with the values of Smidge,” said Rob Jones, Managing Director at Smidge. “The work MCS do for our environment is really important and we are hoping that, with time, the plastic washed up on our beaches won’t be such a significant issue. This is something that Smidge as a brand really cares about and we hope to get involved and help wherever we can”
Sabah Shafi, Marketing Communications Executive at Smidge said: “The brand is passionate about being environmentally friendly as well as being fun and colourful. This beach clean has been our way of starting off Smidge, by trying to contribute and ‘do our bit.’ The Smidge team have really enjoyed it”
Pam Dorritt, Smidge Warehouse Manager from Bristol, who took part in the clean said: “Yesterday’s beach clean was not only good for cleaning the beach but also good for team building. Everyone went away feeling good at being able to take part in this and quite pleased at what we had managed to collect. I think we all now have a greater awareness of what is harming the sea life. It’s not just the obvious like plastic bags and bottles and nets but all the things we had not considered like the wipes, cotton buds, sanitary products. I am sure we will now all be more aware of the way we dispose of our waste and I hope we have the opportunity to take part again.”
James Robinson, Smidge Marketing Manager from Bristol, said: “Great day, had by all! MCS were inspiring and informative, shocked by the 66Kilos of plastic we collected. I slept really well (not sure if it was the sea air or knowing I had done my little bit). The next beach clean is already in the family diary.”
Dr Laura Foster, MCS Head of Clean Seas said: “Reducing single use plastic items and replacing with them multi-use products is vital if we are to make inroads on the amount of single-use plastic that enters our oceans. Reusability is the key going forward and the more items we can use again and again the less that will end up in our oceans.”
For more information about the Marine Conservation Society please visit their website by clicking here.
The Ocean Cleanup, the global non-profit project, has removed a verified all-time total of ten million kilograms (22 million lbs.) of trash from oceans and rivers around the world – approximately the same weight as the Eiffel Tower.
To complete its mission of ridding the oceans of plastic, The Ocean Cleanup uses a dual strategy: cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) to remove the plastic already afloat in the oceans, while stopping the flow of plastic from the world’s most polluting rivers.
Through cleaning operations in the GPGP and in rivers in eight countries, the cumulative total of trash removed has now surpassed ten million kilograms. This milestone demonstrates the acceleration of The Ocean Cleanup’s impact, while underlining the astonishing scale of the plastic pollution problem and the need for continued support and action.
While encouraging for the mission, this milestone is only a staging point: millions more tons of plastic still pollute our oceans and The Ocean Cleanup intends to continue learning, improving and innovating to solve this global catastrophe.
This announcement comes as governments from around the world meet to continue negotiations to develop a new legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution at INC4 in Ottawa, Canada. Representatives of The Ocean Cleanup will be in attendance and the organization will be urging decision-makers to collaborate towards a comprehensive and ambitious global treaty which addresses plastic at all stages of its life cycle and in all marine environments worldwide, including in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
It is encouraging to see that the need for remediation is reflected in the various options for potential treaty provisions. It is essential that the final treaty contains clear targets for the remediation of legacy plastic pollution, and reduction of riverine plastic emissions.
Tackling plastic pollution requires innovative and impactful solutions. The treaty should therefore incentivize the innovation ecosystem by fostering innovations that make maximal use of data, technology and scientific knowledge – such as those designed and deployed by The Ocean Cleanup.
‘After many tough years of trial and error, it’s amazing to see our work is starting to pay off – and I am proud of the team who has brought us to this point.’ said Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup. ‘While we still have a long way to go, our recent successes fill us with renewed confidence that the oceans can be cleaned.’
The Ocean Cleanup was founded in 2013 and captured its first plastic in 2019, with the first confirmed catch in the GPGP coming soon after the deployment of Interceptor 001 in Jakarta, Indonesia. After surpassing one million kilograms of trash removed in early 2022, the non-profit project has since progressed to the third iteration of its GPGP cleaning solution, known as System 03, and a network of Interceptors currently covering rivers in eight countries, with more deployments set for 2024.
About The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup is an international non-profit organization that develops and scales technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. They aim to achieve this goal through a dual strategy: stemming the inflow via rivers and cleaning up the legacy plastic that has already accumulated in the ocean. For the latter, The Ocean Cleanup develops large-scale systems to efficiently concentrate the plastic for periodic removal. This plastic is tracked and traced through DNV’s chain of custody model to certify claims of origin when recycling it into new products. To curb the tide via rivers, The Ocean Cleanup has developed Interceptor™ solutions to halt and extract riverine plastic before it reaches the ocean. Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup now employs a broadly multi-disciplined team of approximately 140. The foundation is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
For more information, visit: theoceancleanup.com and follow @theoceancleanup on social media.
Marine Life & Conservation
Steve Backshall to headline Shark Trust’s flagship event: For the Love of Sharks
Join a host of amazing, shark loving, speakers including Steve Backshall and the Shark Trust team for an evening celebrating shark conservation at the Royal Geographical Society in London this November.
Date: 29th November 2024
Time: 6-10pm
Location: Royal Geographical Society, London
Tickets: https://www.sharktrust.org/Event/flos24
The event will be a celebration of all things shark. Those lucky enough to get hold of tickets will hear from engaging guest speakers with a passion for sharks.
The line-up includes (*subject to change if unforeseen circumstances arise)
Steve Backshall: One of television’s busiest presenters, BAFTA award-winning wildlife expert Steve has been passionate about the wild world ever since he was young.
Steve’s impressive TV career has taken him all around the world, investigating a wide array of species and environments. Steve has filmed over 100 hours of children’s wildlife programmes with the BAFTA award winning Deadly 60 franchise and recently, with Sky Nature, for his new series ‘Whale with Steve Backshall’. He has been a patron for the Shark Trust for 10 years.
Simon Rogerson: is a photojournalist specialising in natural history, diving and the sea.
He is editor of SCUBA magazine, the official journal of the British Sub-Aqua Club. Simon started his career as a crime reporter but gravitated towards his ‘less depressing’ interest in underwater exploration, joining the staff of DIVE magazine in 1999. In 2005 he was named ‘Editor of the Year’ in the PPA’s Independent Publishing Awards. Simon also works as a freelance writer, contributing frequently to the Sunday Times and Telegraph, in addition to BBC Wildlife, Esquire, and a host of international diving magazines. He is the author of a book, Dive Red Sea, published by Ultimate Sports. Now based in Berkshire, Simon has been a Patron of the Shark Trust for 20 years.
More speakers to be announced soon. Head to the Shark Trust website to learn more.
The evening will also allow guests the final chance to see the Oceanic 31, shark art exhibition. Some of the artwork will be auctioned/raffled at the event, while the rest will be auctioned online to raise money for the Shark Trust Oceanic Programme.
For the Love of Sharks is an evening with something for everyone who is interested and fascinated by sharks. Join the Shark Trust, their Patrons, Trustees and Staff, along with a host of supporters for this celebration of shark conservation.
For more information or to buy a ticket: https://www.sharktrust.org/Event/flos24
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