Olympian James Cracknell OBE welcomes Skys Plastic Whale to Cardiff Bay, inspiring the public to change the way they consume single-use plastics

Research* shows that almost 90% of Brits are concerned by the UKs plastic usage and 70% of respondents in Wales are willing to see a similar 5p plastic bag charge applied to other single-use plastics

A 10-metre whale - made from the same amount of plastic dumped in the ocean each second visits Cardiff Bay

The whale was met with great support from former British Olympic rower, James Cracknell and Keep Wales Tidy Chief Executive, Lesley Jones

The plastic whale will tour the UK as part of the Sky Ocean Rescue campaign, encouraging the public to make changes to their plastic consumption

An independent survey - commissioned by Sky Ocean Rescue - has found that 87% of Brits are concerned by the UKs plastic usage and 70% of respondents from Wales are willing to see a similar 5p plastic bag charge applied to other single-use plastics* such as straws, bottles and cups.

The research highlights a desire from the public to see behaviour change, as over eight million tonnes of plastic pollution is dumped into the ocean globally every year.**

In a bid to further drive awareness and inspire members of the public to make changes to their own plastic consumption, a 10-metre plastic whale has appeared in Cardiff today. The whale is made of plastic bags, bottles and other single-use plastics pulled from the ocean, beach cleans and local recycling plants and represents the same amount of plastic that pollutes the ocean every second**.

Double Olympic gold medalist rower, James Cracknell, showed his support for the issue of ocean health, saying: Ive spent so much of my life in and on the water and ocean health is an issue that is very close to my heart. Ive seen the immense beauty and scale of our oceans when I rowed the Atlantic, but they are now so vulnerable and its down to all of us to help protect them. Thats why Im here in Wales today to encourage people to support the Sky Ocean Rescue campaign, make small changes in their everyday lives and become an Ocean Hero .

Group Chief Executive of Sky, Jeremy Darroch, added, Sky is truly committed to raising awareness and encouraging people to change the way they consume single-use plastics to help save our oceans. Research tells us that almost 90% of Brits are also concerned with plastic usage in the UK. Through the Plastic Whale Tour we want to highlight how easy it is to make small changes that can have a real and measurable impact .

A report earlier this year showed that Wales was the third best recycling nation in the world, however nearly 85% of the country have still witnessed rubbish left on beaches or floating in the sea.**

Keep Wales Tidy Chief Executive, Lesley Jones, said; Marine litter is a man-made issue that has a devastating impact around the world. The positive news is that we can all play a part in changing this. At Keep Wales Tidy were reaching out across the globe through international programmes such as Eco-Schools and Blue Flag; were working with Welsh Government and partners across all sectors to implement a marine litter action plan; and we continue to support thousands of volunteers each year to take practical action in their communities. We are delighted to be part of Sky Ocean Rescues Plastic Whale Tour, which shows the scale of the issues, we know that we all need to work together to make a real and lasting difference to our marine environment .

The Plastic Whale Tour will travel through England, Wales and Scotland, visiting iconic beach and water front locations as well as city centres. The campaign will also give members of the public tips on small and easy changes - from using a refillable plastic bottle, to saying no to straws and plastic bags helping reduce plastic consumption. More details are available at www.skyoceanrescue.com.

Find out more about the Plastic Whale Tour and the issues affecting our oceans at the Sky Ocean Rescue Facebook page, @skyoceanrescue on Twitter, or visit skyoceanrescue.com.

Notes to Editors

Research:

* Research conducted by FlyResearch and commissioned by Sky Ocean Rescue to a pool of over 2,000 respondents across the UK in August 2017.

** Estimated 8 million tonnes plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean globally in a year (Jambeck et al. Science Feb 2015). Whale made from 250kgs of plastic, calculations for plastic into the ocean every second derived from the 8 million tonnes annual figure.

*** A 2017 report published by independent researchers, Resource

Press Office:

For more information on the tour and regional visits including interview opportunities, video footage of the making of the plastic whale and on tour b-roll and photos, please contact the Sky Ocean Rescue Press Office:

Jo Torn - jo.torn@onegreenbean.com / 07341 838 770

Matt Buchanan matt.buchanan@onegreenbean.com / 07940 296 867

Alice Briggs - alice.briggs@onegreenbean.com / 07960 033 840

The Plastic Whale

The whale is made of plastic recovered from UK oceans, beach cleans and local recycling plants by recycling experts and material management company Bywaters. The whale is being transported around the UK on a Sussex Transport vehicle and Sky Ocean Rescue is carbon offsetting the journey.

Plastic Whale Tour locations:

15th August London, Potters Fields

17th August Newquay, Porth Beach

18th August Instow, Sandhills

20th August Cardiff, Cardiff Bay

21st August Birmingham, Bullring

22nd August Blackpool Promenade

23rd August Leeds, Sky Office

24th August Livingston, Sky Office

25th August Leith Dock, Edinburgh

26th August Edinburgh, Ocean Terminal

27th August Newcastle Intu Metrocentre

28th August Ipswich

About Sky Ocean Rescue

As Europes leading entertainment company, we want to use our voice and potential reach to inspire people to take action to protect our planet, raising awareness of how plastics and other pollution are affecting our oceans. Sky Ocean Re

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