AI Issue 4 2017

Acquisition International - April 2017 53 Never Wait for Someone Else to Do Something Someday “It is everywhere. It has become one of the most serious environmental and human health problems facing us today. Plastic pollution has reached a crisis point, especially in our oceans. Despite a growing awareness of the problem, the flow of plastic waste continues to increase exponentially - across the world. The vast majority of this originates from the land - from sewage and storm drains, rivers and estuaries, beach and coastal litter, as well as illegal dumping, industrial activities and landfill sites. “This is contaminating precious water systems, threatening marine life, passing up the food chain, and affecting human health, infiltrating other cultures, impacting wildlife and encouraging a throwaway consumer culture across the world. “At long last, the crisis of plastic pollution is riding high on the environmental agenda. It was highlighted by the award-winning documentary ‘Trashed’, leading scientists and NGOs, including our own Foundation. The message has been reinforced by UN Environment in February, when it launched its #CleanSeas campaign at the Economist World Ocean Summit in Bali and by Sky’s ‘Ocean Rescue’. Organisations like the Prince of Wales International Sustainability Unit, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the RSA and other organisations including our own Foundation are now focusing their efforts on getting the solutions message out there.” Melinda then goes on to say that the UN is urging governments to pass plastic reduction policies, targeting industry tominimise plastic packaging, and calling upon consumers to change their throwaway habits before irreversible damage is done to our seas. And yet business and government continue to drag their feet, leaving consumers frustrated and bewildered Melinda adds before explaining the latest research on plastics production. “Plastics production has soared over the past 50 years, from 15 million tonnes in 1964 to 311 million tonnes in 2014. This figure is expected to double over the next 20 years and almost quadruple by 2050 1 . Estimates suggest that at least 8 million tonnes of plastics leak from land to sea every year 2 and that there are over 150 million tonnes of plastics in the ocean today. 3 “If the projected growth of plastic production and business-as-usual trends continue, warnings indicate the oceans will contain more plastic (by weight) than fish by 2050. By that time, the production of this plastic will account for 20% of the world’s total oil consumption and will represent 15% of the global annual carbon budget. “Frustratingly, most of this waste is single-use plastic and packaging. Not only is this dangerous and damaging to our marine environment, human health and the way of life of a large percentage of the world’s population, it makes absolutely no sense economically. Approximately $80 – 120 billion is lost to the world economy every year – that is purely because 95% of all single-use plastic is thrown away every year.” 4 Melinda then explains it is not hard to see that this is an issue that affects everyone and that we should all be addressing before it is too late. Plastic pollution has been described as ‘the apocalyptic twin of climate change’ and in her opinion, that is no exaggeration. “The way forward must be to completely rethink plastic production methods with a view to completely eliminating the use of single-use plastic items within a relatively short timescale. We have already seen that governments worldwide are simply dragging their feet when they should be introducing legislation to help combat the issue, so we must continue to work from the bottom upwards. “That means educating and changing the habits of consumers, communities, retailers, manufacturers and governments, as well as providing platforms and lines of communication for sharing information and innovations.” Recent projects Raw Foundation launched and published their first Plastic-Free Festival Guide, in partnership with Kambe Events, a sustainable event management consultancy. The guide, showcased at the Green Events and Innovations Conference 2014 has been adopted by Glastonbury Festival, Shambala Festival and others continue to follow suit worldwide At the Glastonbury Festival 2014/15/16, a reduction in single-use plastics was achieved, by initiating collaboration and providing re-usable 100% stainless steel water bottles and free water refill kiosks on site, with Glastonbury Festival and WaterAid. Raw Foundation were responsible for a Plastic-Free Festival-Goer Guide and City, Beach, Lifestyle and Sector Guides for Bristol 2015, the National Trust ‘Coast Campaign’ 2015, eXXpedition, CitytoSea, Go Green, Bristol and Turkey in collaboration with WWF and the Turkey towards a ‘Sustainable Tourism’ plan. “Most recently, I led the first study to track the world’s plastic footprint the length of Africa, in some of the most remote areas of the African continent. The key purpose of the Raw in Africa trip was to find out more about how plastic finds its way into the ocean and the real effects it has on people’s lives and on the environment” Melinda adds before telling us about the types and quantities of plastic waste there, where they originated from as well as the impacts and what is being done about it. “We drove 17,000 km from Cairo to Cape Town, bush-camping all the way. We (literally) dived into dangerous rubbish dumps, located landfill sites and surveyed source-to-sea debris. We opened government official doors, met waste ministers and reviewed re-use and recycling initiatives. We carried out beach cleans, probed pristine environments and tapped into tribal wisdom. Most importantly, we collaborated with local communities and created lasting links. “One of our key aims was to analyse the plastic rubbish and find out where it originated from. To achieve this, we stopped every 100 km to record and take samples of the rubbish found within a onemetre quadrat exactly one metre from either side of the road or track. The data is so detailed that we have even been able to identify the extent of the impact of individual items and global brands, which collectively form the major source of the plastic waste items. “The information collected from our Africa expedition illustrates the urgent need to shine a spotlight on the sheer scale of the problem and transboundary nature of plastic pollution. Our use of plastic in the West is even affecting communities in these remote areas of Africa – they don’t want it and, worst of all, they have no way of getting rid of it. “The African communities are not alone. I recently received a Facebook message from Puerto Nariño, located on the shore of the Amazon River in one of the most remote parts of the Amazon region. The majority of the residents are indigenous peoples, unique for their sustainable living model. “Having never used plastics themselves traditionally, the tribes are now encountering growing volumes of plastic waste. Coupled with inadequate treatment of water, people are reduced to having to buy bottled water. I find that idea deeply disturbing and truly terrifying, but I am sorry to say I don’t find it surprising.” Melinda’s role in the Raw Foundation is director, education campaign and project founder, research analyst, lead, lead, speaker, on-the-ground campaigner and designer when she has time. In terms of the staff there, apart from a small core team, they rely heavily on the generosity of their multitalented volunteers. They are currently searching for core funding. Melinda then outlines her vision for the future of The Raw Foundation. “Time is pressing. We are faced on the one hand by climate change, over-consumption and resource scarcity and on the other by pollution and social and ecological injustice. It is my hope that we continue to inspire others by providing a platform, such as Raw Talks: Plastic, for raising awareness and learning. A clear message for compelling change that engages people’s imaginations and emotions, creates connections and collaboration, showcases sustainable solutions and catalyses action. Above all, that we spark hope and a clear picture of a brighter future. In short, never wait for someone else to do something someday.” Melinda concludes by saying that her professional work, combined with her deep personal African roots, requires passion, drive, resolve and a steadfast commitment and belief that we are capable of radical change for all our children’s sake. “It can be a lonely space sometimes that necessitates a Wishbone (VISION of how things could be), a backbone (bravery and determination) and a funny bone (to keep going!)” she says. 1 World Economic Forum (2016) The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics, A World Economic Forum Report. 2 J.R. Jambeck et al., (2015) Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean, Science 347 (6223), 768-771. Ocean Conservancy and McKinsey Center for Business and Environment (2015) 3 Stemming the Tide: Land-based strategies for a plastic - free ocean. 4 World Economic Forum (2016) The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics, A World Economic Forum Report.