Participant Appreciation: On the Ground Auditing the World's Plastic Waste

on the ground auditing the world’s plastic waste

Korean Federation of Environmental Movements (KFEM)/Friends of the Earth Korea Centre for Marine Life Conservation and Community Development

S O UTH ASIA & SOUTHEAST AS I A

(Vietnam)

Project Marigold (Philippines)

People to People International (Nigeria) Nipe Fagio (Tanzania)

Amis de l’Afrique Francophone-Bénin/ Let's Do It! Bénin

NGO Zero Waste Society Ukraine Strandliners (United Kingdom)

Plastifreecame (Spain)

Plastic Change & artist Maj D (Denmark) Artwork is a great way to share with the public, industry, politicians and decision-makers our work and efforts toward a plastic-free environment.

Denmark’s first national brand audit led by Plastic Change has resulted in this wall hanging with branded items collected by Danish volunteers that contributed to the dataset for the global brand audit.

Algalita Marine Research & Education (California, USA) Sea Shepherd (Australia)

Marshal University Sustainability Club (West Virginia, USA) “I am fortunate enough to be able to choose zero waste items and avoid plastic packaging as much as I can,” Sustainability Club president, Baleigh

Epperly said. “But I am dedicating my life and my career to sustainability so that I can help ensure that West Virginians and people around the world have the same access to these choices.”

DiskOncept/Vamos a Hacerlo (Colombia) Taganga is a traditional fishing village in the Caribbean coast of Colombia. It is located at the northwestern flank of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, some of the world’s tallest coastal mountains. Taganga is home to ancestral fisherfolk and indigenous communities, and their economy depends on artisanal fishing and tourism. Various types of corals, sponges, sea turtles, molluscs, crustaceans and over 129 species of fish have been identified in the waters around Taganga.

“When we got here many of the corals were already dead, they were white and the fishes were gone. Since we started with our cleanup campaigns in 2015, we have seen changes both in the coral reefs and in the communities,” said Carlos, Director of DiskOncept. “We have organized more than 50 clean up campaigns, taking tons of plastic waste out of the sea and the coral reefs.”

This is the first year they performed a formal brand audit and they are excited to continue with the movement for future cleanups and brand audits. They hope to engage more with local communities, including indigenous people and fisherfolk, since they are the most impacted. 11 Y Nos Vamos (Mexico)