AI Issue 4 2017

52 Acquisition International - April 2017 Raw Foundation is a consumer-facing organisation, targeting plastic pollution, through research, education and the raising of public awareness. It acts as the interface to encourage and facilitate collaboration between manufacturers, retailers, governments, NGOs and other communities and organisations. As part of our Prominent Women in Business series, Melinda Watson tells us more about the aims and values of the organisation. he Mission of Raw Foundation is to educate, engage and empower young people to identify and accelerate a shift towards sustainable consumption and production. As the root cause of climate change and environmental degradation, they focus on over-consumption and the hidden consequence of everyday stuff. They provide a range of learning programmes, together with campaigning and collaborating on priority waste streams and behaviour change. Everything they do is systems-focused, solutionoriented and change driven. Raw Foundation’s key aims are to: • Reduce the amount of plastic used and thrown away; • Promote sustainable re-use solutions; • Recycle what cannot be re-used and improve recycling practices; • Keep plastics out of our oceans and; • Work towards eliminating single-use plastic items by 2030. Company: Raw Foundation Name: Melinda Watson MSc, FRGS Email: [email protected] Web: www.rawfoundation.org Phone: +44 (0)1749 831002 NeverWait for Someone Else to Do Something Someday T 1704AI52 The organisation’s manifesto is guided by their six core values: • Realisation: of the gaps between their vision and reality; • Reconnection: to the ecological networks of which we are part; • Reverence: of all life on earth having intrinsic value; • Relationships: systems thinking, information sharing and networking; • Reflection: of the inner and outer place from which they operate and; • Resilience: whilst reorganising and undergoing change. Raw Foundation’s manifesto includes: • Promoting repair, re-use and ‘for hire’ in preference to ‘brand new’ and ‘ownership’; • Focusing on and helping to change the public’s thinking about the throw-away culture and the way in which products are designed purely for their disposability and; • Encouraging plastic industries to ‘clean up’ by championing clean materials and circular economy practices. To achieve the aims within their manifesto, Raw Foundation are: • Raising awareness of all issues relating to plastic, most importantly single-use plastic items; • Providing preventative education materials for individuals, schools, colleges, universities and other organisations; • Championing the provision of tap water and water fountains in public places and; • Urging EVERY one, EVERY where to take a plastic pledge #myplasticpledge to drastically reduce the amount of plastic waste they generate and make plastic-free part of EVERY day! In terms of the issues that concern Melinda at the moment, she believes that nothing better illustrates our throwaway lifestyle and waste problems than plastic.