- The fourth round of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) discussions around a global plastics treaty took place at the end of April with disappointing results. Our recently appointment CEO Jane Martin had this to say: “The outcome from Ottawa is not so much a compromise as a collapse of principle and determination. It is the equivalent of a climate summit ending with an agreement to do almost nothing about greenhouse gas emissions. That the US and UK governments would not support proposals from developing countries and others to restrict plastic production is a stain on their respective records. It is once again being left to citizens and consumers to vote with their feet by rejecting single-use plastic in the marketplace. In six weeks’ time, pioneers from around the world will show governments how it’s done as we celebrate World Refill Day. The strides the world is making toward a plastic-free future are sadly despite – rather than because of – governments in the world leading economies.”
- On stepping up from Head of Development to become CEO at City to Sea, Jane Martin shares: "I’m delighted to be stepping up to the CEO role to lead our team of committed change-makers. I’ve loved working with partners over the last five years to develop exciting projects to power the circular economy and refill revolution. My focus in my new role will be to continue applying the pressure to our leaders to legislate for change, supporting businesses to transition to reuse and delivering creative and inspiring campaigns that connect people’s actions to the oceans." Get to know the full City to Sea team here.
- At City to Sea, we’re focussing our efforts on policy change to prioritise the transition from reuse to single-use and we know that the British public support it. Our recent survey into awareness and attitudes towards plastic pollution in the UK found that 83% of Brits are definitely or somewhat concerned about the amount of plastic that comes in their weekly shop. 8 in 10 Brits are taking action to reduce their use of single-use plastics, but without legislative change from government, brands and businesses won’t have a level playing field for increasing their refill and reuse offering. We are proud to have the support of
Ocean Bottle
,
Culligan UK
, Ecover
SC Johnson Lifestyle Brands
,
Exhale Healthy Coffee
and many more forward-thinking partners alongside us who are championing a reusable future and supporting our Reuse Manifesto this World Refill Day.
- Earlier this year, our first call for change was to Environment Secretary Steve Barclay to ban single-use packaging for eat-in sales in restaurants, cafes and bars. Plastic pollution is not only one of the biggest environmental issues we face; recent research has proven the harmful impacts that plastic is having on our health, and the health of ocean life. So we’re asking, “why are we still using single-use plastic packaging when there are perfectly good reusable, refillable options available?” You can read all about our petition in our first plastic-free newsletter here and join the 25,000+ people who’ve already signed and supported our petition here.
- In March, our friends at
Everyday Plastic
hosted The Big Plastic Count, and found that UK households are throwing away an estimated 1.7 Billion pieces of plastic a week, with more being incinerated and contributing to emissions than back in 2022. Proving that now, more than ever, we need to collectively step up for reuse to drastically reduce plastic production and pollution.
- And we’ll be doing exactly this on June 16th! We’ve had a busy start to the year with petitions, campaign wins (wet wipes containing plastic are to be banned!) and fundraising appeals (thank you to everyone who donated to help us reach our target for our match-funded Earth Day appeal). But activity is really ramping up now as we’re just one month away from World Refill Day, our global day of action to prevent plastic pollution and help people live with less waste. Stay tuned to see exactly what we’ll be getting up to this World Refill Day to accelerate the transition away from single-use plastic and towards refill and reuse, and how you and your business can get involved.
Partnerships Manager @ City to Sea | Co-Founder of The Calzy Foundation
9moAmazing strides!!