Sky Ocean Rescue to partner with Turn the Tide on Plastic Volvo Ocean Race team

Sky has stepped up its Ocean Rescue campaign and partnered with Turn the Tide on Plastic, a team competing in the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race beginning in Spain on Sunday.

Led by the races only female skipper, veteran British sailor Dee Caffari MBE, Turn the Tide on Plastic will use on-board data gathering equipment to measure water quality and composition, as well as micro-plastics in some of the worlds remotest oceans.

The team is part of the UN Environments Clean Seas campaign which aims to better understand the issue of plastic pollution in our oceans and inspire people to take action in their day-to-day lives.

Since launching in January 2017, Sky Ocean Rescue has engaged with over 6 million people to raise awareness of the dire health of our oceans and now aims to reach a new audience by becoming official Race Team and Media Partner of Turn the Tide on Plastic.

Skys Group CEO, Jeremy Darroch, said: Were in a race against time to tackle the impact of plastic pollution in our oceans. Turn the Tide on Plastic are taking real action now and thats why were supporting their Volvo Ocean Race journey; not just competing , but reaching and learning from the remotest parts of our oceans.

We all have to take responsibility and act now to save our oceans. If we can use our voice and reach as Europes biggest entertainment business to inspire others to take action, then we hope we can make a real difference.

British Skipper Dee Caffari MBE will be the first in Volvo Ocean Race history to lead a 50-50 gender split crew from nine different nationalities.

On the partnership Caffari, said; Sky Ocean Rescue are championing the issue of ocean health so we are delighted that they will join forces with us at the Volvo Ocean Race this year.

I am so passionate about ocean health, I have spent 17 years sailing and racing on the oceans and we must do all we can to protect them. Sky Ocean Rescue share in our passion and responsibility to tackle the issue of plastic pollution in our oceans and, through our research and Skys ability to engage and reach so many through their coverage we have the ability to bring our journey to life and hopefully inspire others to take action.

Executive Director of UN Environment, Erik Solheim, added: Sky Ocean Rescue is a great contribution to the Clean Seas Campaign, bringing a fantastic and substantial leadership on how we must act now to reduce marine pollution word-wide. We are very pleased to have them on board.

Sky Ocean Rescue branding will feature on the boat, helping to take the campaign and its message to over 3 million race visitors in 12 countries, and millions more around the world. Sky will also use the partnership to engage customers, partners and other ocean enthusiasts with coverage across Sky News, Sky Sports News and Sky Sports.

The partnership builds on the commitments made by Sky Ocean Rescue at the EU Our Ocean Conference in Malta to transform its business operation and become single-use plastic free by 2020; launch a £25 million innovation fund to support innovation and technology to fight plastic pollution; and partner with WWF to safeguard Marine Protected Areas.

For more information on Sky Ocean Rescue visit skyoceanrescue.com.

For more on the Volvo Ocean Race visit www.volvooceanrace.com

Notes to Editors

For more information on Sky Ocean Rescue contact:

Laura Brown laura.brown@sky.uk / 07989428478

Megan Cooper megan.cooper@sky.uk / 07852517090

For more information on Volvo Ocean Race contact:

Amy Monkman - amy.monkman@volvooceanrace.com

For more information on Turn the Tide on Plastic contact:

Emily Jay emily@deecaffari.com

About Sky Ocean Rescue

Since launching in January 2017, Sky Ocean Rescue has delivered a UK tour of Plasticus - a 10 metre whale made from the same amount of plastic that enters the ocean every second; taken over the 100th Test at the Oval cricket ground; and launched three Sky News documentaries including A Plastic Tide, A Plastic Whale and A Plastic Voyage, engaging millions on the breadth and severity of the plastic pollution problem.

Sky has also removed plastic water bottles, plastic straws, cups and cutlery across its European sites and as a result has reduced its plastic bottle usage by more than 300,000.

In October Sky made three further commitments to protecting our oceans: to transform its business operation and become single-use plastic free by 2020; to launch a £25 million innovation fund to support innovation and technology to fight plastic pollution; and partner with WWF to safeguard Marine Protected Areas.

For more information on Sky Ocean Rescue visit skyoceanrescue.com.

About the Volvo Ocean Race

The Volvo Ocean Race is the ultimate ocean marathon, pitting the sports best sailors against each other across the worlds toughest oceans. The legendary race that began in 1973 will start from Alicante, Spain in October 2017 and finish in The Hague, Netherlands in June 2018. Featuring almost three times as much Southern Ocean sailing as in the previous edition, the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 will be contested over the longest distance in the races history at around 45,000 nautical miles, crossing four oceans and taking in 12 major cities on six continents.

The Volvo Ocean Race has been the global sponsorship flagship of Volvo Group and Volvo Car Group since taking ownership of the Race in 1999. The Volvo Ocean Race is operated as a non-profit organisation.

About Turn The Tide on Plastic

Turn The Tide on Plastic is a mixed, youth focused team with a strong sustainability message, led by Britains Dee Caffari. The campaign backed by the principle sustainability partner the Mirpuri Foundation, Sky Ocean Rescue, and the Ocean Family Foundation, is dedicated to the issue of ocean health.

The teams guiding mission is to amplify the United Nations Environments Clean

LINK:	https://www.skygroup.sky/corporate/media-centre/articles/en-gb/sky_oce...
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