Ocean Summit speaker inspiration for UK Government plastic policy

The UK Government has declared war on plastic waste with a 25-year plan that includes a policy to create plastic-free aisles in supermarkets.

The idea, borrowed from Volvo Ocean Race Ocean Summit speakers A Plastic Planet, will mean all single use plastic could be subjected to charges in future. 

A Plastic Planet, founded by Sian Sutherland and Lilly Barclay, recently brought their campaign to offer consumers the choice to buy plastic free items in supermarkets to the Ocean Summits in Alicante and Cape Town.

Under the UK plans waste such as food packaging and disposable plastic straws would also be abolished. 

Sian Sutherland said: “We were delighted to be able to present at the Ocean Summit and impressed with the response to our campaign. The Ocean Summits offer a vital platform for innovative solutions that address the plastic crisis affecting our oceans.

“We are also very pleased that the UK Government is embracing our campaign for Plastic Free Aisles in supermarkets. We need to turn off the plastic tap and recycling is not the answer to our excessive dependence on plastic for food and drink packaging.”

Frederikke Magnussen, co-founder of A Plastic Planet, added: "Over the past 10 months, A Plastic Planet has built a formidable coalition of influential global players such as the Volvo Ocean Race. The campaign has been present at two fantastic Volvo Ocean Race Summits in Alicante and Cape Town. We can't wait to attend the summit in Cardiff too.

"The Volvo Ocean Race is all about getting out there and racing to make incredible things happen. It's about doing, not talking. That is the ethos we have tried to embody throughout our campaign. We look forward to working with the Volvo Ocean Race to achieve great things in the future."

The seven Ocean Summits are bringing together the worlds of sport, industry, government, science and ocean advocates, to showcase innovative solutions and announcements to combat the global crisis of ocean plastics. By convening key stakeholders we can inspire individuals and communities to help turn the tide on plastic.

The Hong Kong Ocean Summit is taking place on Monday 22nd January 2018, in the Volvo Pavilion, Kai Tak Runway Park.

Key speakers at the event will include Stiv Wilson, Director of Campaigns, The story of Stuff; Tiza Mafira, Director, The Plastic Bag Diet (Jakarta); Safia Qureshi, Founder and CEO of The Cup Club and Anders Jacobson, Co-Founder and CEO of Bluewater. 

The one-day event is hosted by Paul Rose, explorer, television presenter and Vice President of the Royal Geographical Society with delegates including a host of industry leaders from across Asia, Volvo Ocean Race sailors and NGOs.

A sustainable event workshop after the Ocean Summit will then convene representatives from key Hong Kong based businesses and groups to discuss ways to embed sustainability at the heart of their operations.

The summits have already seen the release of ground breaking data on the amount of microplastics in European waters and produced a series of announcements to address the impacts of plastics on ocean health.  

At the Ocean Summit in Alicante, the Spanish Government announced that it was joining the UN Clean Seas Campaign. The mayor of Alicante also announced an education campaign on plastic in all schools in the city. At the Cape Town Ocean Summit, the V&A Waterfront shopping centre, which welcomes 24 million visitors each year, pledged to eliminate single-use plastic bags and bottles.

For more information visit the Ocean Summit webpage