Skys Plastic Whale Tour reaches Birmingham, inspiring the public to change the way they consume single-use plastics

A 10 metre whale made from the same amount of plastic dumped in the ocean each second was on display at the Bullring in Birmingham today

Research* shows that almost 90% of Brits are concerned by the UKs plastic usage and over 64% of respondents in Birmingham are willing to see a 5p plastic bag charge applied to other single-use plastics

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 over 64% of respondents in Birmingham are willing to see a 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 the public to make changes to their own plastic consumption, a 10-metre plastic whale has appeared at the Bullring in Birmingham today. The whale is made of single-use plastics pulled from the ocean, and represents the same amount of plastic that pollutes the ocean every second**.

Group Chief Executive of Sky, Jeremy Darroch, said, 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 .

The Plastic Whale has already visited London, the South West of England and Cardiff and has been welcomed by local communities and famous faces that passionately support ocean health, including Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Jodie Kidd and James Cracknell, as well as ocean health campaigner, the Marine Conservation Society.

CEO of the Marine Conservation Society, Sandy Luk, said; The Plastic Whale Tour is timed perfectly to highlight some of the huge issues our seas face right now. Our research repeatedly finds items such as plastic drinks bottles, wrappers and bags on UK beaches. So much of this has been used just once and thrown away. Small charges on packaging items, and deposit return systems can help bring the problem under control and we are pleased to work in partnership with Sky Ocean Rescue to bring awareness to the issue and advise on how to make simple changes that can have a big impact .

The plastic whale 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.

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:

Natalie Kutscher - Natalie.kutscher@onegreenbean.com / 07766 797 866

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

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

For more information on Marine Conservation Society visit: www.mcsuk.org

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 Rescue is the environmental campaign, part of the Bigger Picture which also inspires the new generation through the power of sport, and invests further in creativity and diversity in our industry to make a difference.

Plastic The Facts

13 billion single-use plastic bottles are sold in Britain each year (an average of 200 per person) less than half of these are recycled (source: Nottingham University, Environmental Technology Centre)

Most types of plastic are not biodegradable. They can stay in the ocean for centuries. (source: UNEP)

Microplastics have been found inside a third of fish in the English Channel (source: Plymouth University)

We use over 35 million plastic bottles every day in the UK (source: WRAP)

40% of all plastic in Europe is only used once (source: Plast

LINK:	https://www.skygroup.sky/corporate/media-centre/articles/en-gb/Skys-Pl...
	See more stories from sky

Most recent headlines