SEVEN PROJECTS, SEVEN COUNTRIES, TANGIBLE IMPACT

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Our charity partnership with the renowned band Depeche Mode and Swiss watchmaker Hublot is in full swing, as we join forces to tackle the pressing global problem of plastic waste. We are thrilled to unveil the first round of projects.

As Depeche Mode sets out on their monumental Memento Mori World Tour, they are leveraging their platform to raise awareness and drive initiatives to combat plastic pollution. This remarkable collaboration today is providing support to seven impactful projects spanning Cyprus, Italy, Greece, Kenya, Spain, Sri Lanka, and the UK.

Plastic Free Ibiza & Formentera – IbizaPreservation 

• Ibiza generates the most waste per capita of all the Balearic Islands, at just under 600 kg per inhabitant in 2022. These values are far in excess of the Spanish national average, with tourism being a main contributor.
• There is a Balearic law that prohibits single-use plastics but is not being followed by many businesses. This project works with the hospitality sector to help them understand and comply with the law. It establishes a clear roadmap to reduce and eliminate plastic waste and replace it with honest alternatives through a plastic-free product supply guide.
• Since June 2023, around 33 local businesses have started the plastic-free certification process, while over 100 have participated in waste reduction workshops. Meanwhile 5 beach clean-ups have removed more than 440kg of litter from Ibiza & Formentera’s beaches.

Plastic Free Beach – Cyprus Environment Foundation

• Around 80% of rubbish collected on beaches in Cyprus is plastic. EU waste policy implementation is ineffective due to inadequate infrastructure and coordination issues.
• This project strengthens the ‘Plastic Free Beach’ concept, which includes introducing facilities such as freshwater fountains, designated smoking areas with benches and ashtrays made from upcycled plastic, community engagement through awareness signs, and creating upcycled plastic artwork by local school students. It also aims to secure and implement the quality of Plastic Free Beach through legal advice and contracts.
• From June to November 2023, six beaches participated, four events were organised, 359 students attended educational programmes on plastic waste reduction, 250 refillable water bottles were awarded to beach visitors, and more than 200,000 people were engaged through organised awareness campaigns.

Plastic Free Schools – Sicily Environment Fund

• In the islands of Sicily, school students buy plastic water bottles and other snacks each day from vending machines.
• Marevivo is running a Plastic free Schools campaign and competition to reduce single-use plastics and engage young people to join the fight!
• Nine Schools from 12 islands took part in the competition and submitted creative multimedia projects showcasing the plastics issue in their islans. The three winning schools were awarded water purification stations. It is estimated that each school will save approximately 57,000 plastic water bottles!

Kiunga Marine Reserve Clean-up – Lamu Environment Foundation

• Lamu, Kenya, has no active government-led waste management system.
• Bahari Moja, a local initiative led by a remote community of women and young people, works to reduce plastic pollution on beaches and in their village through implementing waste management through regular beach and village clean ups, running education programmes with local schools and creating income-generating activities to recycle waste to prevent buildup.
• From June to November 2023, Bahari Moja has removed 5,274 kg of waste, recycled 2,352 kg of hard plastic locally, organised weekly village clean-ups, and 4 large beach cleanups with over 200 women and students participating, and identified 200 sea turtle nests – double the 2022 record!

Sin-Praxi – Ionian Environment Foundation

• With 70,000,000 kg of waste generated annually in Corfu, the island faces a waste crisis with its landfill full for two years, resulting in costly waste shipping to other Greek sites.
• The Sin.Praxi community project in northeast Corfu addresses this issue, this summer alone they collected 59,000 kg of waste.
• The project funding started in November and will boost infrastructure and education to divert waste from landfills through reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, and circular economies.

Cleaner Seabeds for Sri Lanka – Lanka Environment Fund

• Did you know that 80% of the seabed in the Western Province of Sri Lanka has been deemed polluted?
• Pearl Protectors is pioneering one of Sri Lanka’s first large-scale reef clean-up through volunteer diving expeditions. They are also developing recycling and upcycling plans for effective waste disposal.
• So far over 1,000kg (about the weight of a Clydesdale horse) of abandoned or discarded fishing gear has been removed by 150 volunteer divers (8 of which were PADI trained as part of this funding).

Till the Coast is Clear – Devon Environment Foundation

• UK households are throwing away around 100 billion pieces of plastic packaging every year, with just 12 per cent being recycled in the country and much of it ending up in the sea.
• Till the Coast is Clear (TTCIC) is recovering plastics from hard-to-reach locations on the South Devon coast, using volunteer crewed recyclable kayaks and motor vessels.
• So far, this funding has enabled TTCIC to buy four new sea kayaks made from recycled plastic fishing nets, establish additional waste collection points at remote coastal locations, and distribute beach cleaning kits to local schools.

Watch this space for the Round 2 grantees, five more projects across five countries!