Doing Our Bit – Clear Plastic Bottles

There are 17 Global Goals in total and, whilst each and every one of them is important and tackles issues around the world, it would impossible to spread yourself thinly and aim to contribute towards all seventeen, therefore choosing those that are important to you and / or those that possibly have a direct impact on your life and those around you would be a sensible option. Therefore, our Clear Plastic Bottles Campaign focuses on a three of the Global Goals: goal 12 Responsible Consumption, goal 13 Climate Action and goal 14 Life Below Water.

Goal 12 Responsible Consumption

Goal 12 aims to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. The world in which we live is currently not sustainable because we are having a negative impact on it – taking more than we need and not being careful about the footprint that we leaving. But this is not all doom and gloom; by raising awareness and each and every one of us making small changes we can prevent and even reverse this impact. Our Clear Plastic Bottles Campaign  aims to raise awareness of the issue of single-use plastic bottles. So many of us fall into the trap and buying a quick drink from the shop to quench that thirst or accompany that snack. Few think about the consequences of purchasing that plastic bottle or the energy that has gone into making it.

Goal 12 aims to reduce the generation of waste through the 3 Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. By reducing the amount we buy, by reusing products and materials, and by recycling whenever we can, we can hopefully reduce the amount of waste that is produced. But our campaign aims to take it even further. Plastic bottles can be reused and recycled but a large percentage get put in general waste after a single use. Our 3 Rs are: refuse, refill and remove. If we refuse to buy unnecessary single-use plastic bottles and use disposable plastic straws and coffee cups, refill durable plastic bottles with tap water and remove the existing plastic waste that litters our streets, rivers and beaches we will hopefully have an impact and reduce the generation of waste.

Goal 13 Climate Action

The climate is changing and as individuals we can play a small part in taking action against this. By refusing to buy unnecessary single-use plastic bottles and refilling our bottles with drinks, we can have an impact on the amount of bottles that are produced and the resources that are used in the manufacturing process; “if you fill your bottle with oil to a fifth of its capacity to witness how much oil is used in manufacturing the bottle and shipping it to you”. It’s shocking to consider that “for every 1 litre of bottled water in your local supermarket, 3 litres have been used to make and ship it to you.” [Facts taken from Water to Go website – https://www.watertogo.eu/environmental-facts]

Goal 14 Life Below Water

The two main issues facing life below water are overfishing and pollution. Goal 14 aims to tackle both of these issues, prohibiting overfishing and reducing marine pollution by 2025. Plastic contributes to a large proportion of the litter that is washed up on beaches and is floating in our oceans, in gyres (one the size of Texas). The plastic is eaten by marine life who mistake it for food. Their stomachs then feel full and they eventually starve to death. Seals, turtles, dolphins and whales get entangled in larger pieces of plastic that can cut into their skin or drown them.

So our Clear Plastic Bottles Campaign campaign aims to tackle the amount of plastic waste that is produced. We hope that this action will help contribute to the reduction of marine pollution. If fewer plastic bottles are manufactured, bought or dumped, then ultimately fewer will make into the rivers and oceans.