SEA LIFE TRUST and CCEP launch nationwide beach cleans on World Oceans Day
- SEA LIFE TRUST and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners appeal for volunteers to join beach and river cleans across the UK on 8 June to help take action on litter entering oceans
- The event raises awareness of the extent of litter in our seas and waterways
Conservation charity SEA LIFE TRUST, in partnership with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Great Britain (CCEP GB), is calling on volunteers to support its World Oceans Day beach cleans across the UK.
The events are being held across Scotland and England in 18 locations on coastal and inland waterways, including Loch Lomond, Birmingham Canal and Brighton Beach on 8th June. The initiative aims to show that by coming together, we can make a difference to reduce the amount of waste entering oceans.
SEA LIFE TRUST is working with Sea Life Centres nationwide to organise beach clean events. Volunteers are being urged to sign up through the SEA LIFE TRUST website, where they can also register to organise their own beach clean event in the UK.
This year’s campaign is the first time the event has had a sponsor. The sponsorship will help to fund t-shirts and litter pickers for participating volunteers, as well as marketing activity to drive awareness of the campaign. CCEP has also encouraged colleagues from across the country to take part locally and volunteer at the beach cleans, including 40 employees at its East Kilbride site and 25 colleagues from its Uxbridge office.
Graham McGrath, Director at the SEA LIFE TRUST, says:
“It’s more important than ever that we work together to help protect our oceans, which are the engines of our climate and produce half of the air we need to breathe. By looking after our seas, we’re looking after ourselves and our children’s futures – not forgetting all the marine life within it.
“What better way to make a positive difference than by joining the biggest collective beach clean in the world! We have groups of people from one end of the UK to the other who will take a moment to collect rubbish from beaches, rivers streams and canals where they live – rubbish which otherwise would find its way into the oceans. We also want to use this event as a way to educate consumers on recycling protocols and the different types of plastic that can be recycled, like plastic drink bottles.
“We’re delighted that this year we’re partnering with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners to encourage even more people to get involved. With each person who joins this terrific event we make one small drop in the ocean, but together we all make a giant wave of positive change!”
Jo Padwick, Senior Sustainability Manager at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners said:
“We’re committed to using the scale and reach of our business to address the environmental challenges that we currently face and are working towards a target of collecting and recycling a bottle or can for every one we sell by 2030. Partnering with likeminded organisations like the SEA LIFE TRUST is a key part of this, making a positive difference across the UK together.
“We will have a number of CCEP colleagues out across the country on the 8 June. Personally, I’ll be down on Perranporth beach participating in the clean-up, which I’m really excited about. Protecting our oceans is incredibly important and we want to encourage our colleagues across the business, as well as partners, suppliers and consumers to get involved in beach cleans. Activities like this are a great reminder to us all of how to responsibly dispose of our litter.”
The campaign is part of a global event, happening across 50 locations worldwide and taking place over 24 hours, from Sydney to Shanghai. This year will be the charity’s biggest clean-up mission yet.
For further information please contact SEA LIFE TRUST on beachclean@sealifetrust.com or visit https://www.sealifetrust.org/en/what-we-do/sea-life-trust-global-beach-clean/
